230.3 


C5498p 


191 


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A BOOK  FOR 


WIVES,  MOTHERS 
DAUGHTERS 


uuu 


COMPILED  BY 


(From  tfie  CiSrary  of  0.%.  and 
Mary  MapCe  Jones 


J?  gift  from  ‘EstHer  <Douglttie  French, 

Jane  (Doughtie  FayCor  dE  FicharcC F.  (Doughtie  III 


DEDICATION 

To  the  mothers  of  America  who  should  know 
more  about  the  Papal  Priesthood;  To  the  girls 
( of  America  who  should  be  educated  to  shun  the 
(convent  as  they  would  a pest  house;  To  the  hus- 
I bands  and  fathers  of  America,  who  should  ibe 
|the  defenders  of  woman’s  honor;  and  to  all  who 
flove  truth,  virtue  and  purity,  this  book  is  dedi- 
cated  by 


The  Author, 


INTRODUCTION 


This  little  book  has  already  passed  through  seven 
large  editions.  Orders  are  still  coming  in  for  it  from 
all  parts  of  the  English  speaking  world.  Popery  has 
become  an  issue  in  American  politics.  The  battle  of 
truth  against  error  which  for  hundreds  of  years  has 
been  fought  on  the  soil  of  the  old  world,  has  been 
transformed  to  the  soil  of  the  new  world.  The  forces 
are  arrayed,  the  saloon,  the  beer  garden,  the  gambling 
hell,  the  convent,  the  parochial  school,  the  confessional 
and  the  priest  on  one  side ; the  public  school,  the  printing 
press  and  honest  citizenship  of  this  great  republic  on  the 
other  side. 

In  every  civilized  nation  on  earth  except  America, 
the  Papal  Convent  has  been  suppressed,  or  restiictive 
laws  thrown  around  it.  Banished  from  Italy,  France, 
Mexico  and  other  countries,  it  comes  here  and  takes 
refuge  behind  our  laws  of  religious  toleration.  It  builds 
its  system  of  religious  penitentiaries  and  denies  that  the 
public  has  any  right  to  know  what  goes  on  behind  its 
stone  walls  and  grated  windows,  and  receives  the  smiles 
and  sanction  of  the  cowardly  lackeys  who  make  our 
laws.  Stone  walls,  steel  doors,  and  grated  windows  are 
not  an  essential  part  of  religious  liberty  in  this  free 
land.  Let  the  womanhood  of  America  be  valiant  in  the 
fight  for  human  freedom. 

Yours  faithfully, 

Mrs.  Wm.  Li^oyd  Clark. 


Priest  and  Woman 


The  age  has  passed  when  women  are  looked 
upon  as  slaves  of  men.  Only  a savage 
would  want  a slave  for  the  mother  of  his  chil- 
dren. We  are  living  in  the  morning  sunlight  of 
the  twentieth  century — a glorious  century  that 
will  open  a new  area  for  woman  in  the  western 
world.  Woman  has  made  little  progress  in  those 
countries  struggling  under  the  emissaries  of  the 
Pope,  while  in  Protestant  nations,  such  as  Eng- 
land, Holland,  Germany  and  America,  she  has 
been  liberated  from  many  of  the  old  forms  of 
slavery,  and  as  a result  her  ability  has  been 
reflected  in  the  science,  art  and  literature  of  the 
present  age.  On  the  throne,  on  the  battlefield 
and  in  the  forum,  history  reveals  her  equality 
with  man.  The  American  woman  should  be  given 
the  ballot,  and  thus  empowered  to  defend  her 
home,  the  public  school  and  the  nation’s  flag, 
and  in  her  v/ould  be  found  a loyal  citizen,  a 
faithful  wife,  a devoted  mother  and  a steadfast 
patriot. 

History  reveals  the  priest  and  the  confes- 
sional box  as  the  enemies  of  virtue.  It  is  the 
writer’s  hope  that  all  who  read  these  pages  will 
in  the  future  avoid  patronizing  Roman  Catholic 


4 


PRIEST  /..ND  WOMAN 


institutions.  i,Iany  parents  in  the  past  nave 
placed  their  daughters  in  convents,  believing  that 
in  so  doing  they  were  removing  them  from  all 
temptations  ahd  giving  them  good  and  holy  com- 
panions. A greater  mistake  was  never  made. 
A great  many  say  there  is  nothing  wrong ; if  that 
be  true  why  not  open  her  institutions  to  the  sun- 
shine of  honest  investigation  ? If  everything  there 
is  all  right,  the  greater  will  be  their  glory  and 
honor,  and  all  suspicion  allayed.  But  Rome  only 
knows  too  well  that  the  lives  of  the  dear  sisters 
w^ould  not  bear  inspection,  and  very  wisely  keeps 
the  door  shut.  Many  a noble  woman  has  entered 
the  w’alls  of  Rome  to  escape  the  snares  of  the 
world,  only  to  find  that  she  had  entered  a trap 
to  fall  a victim  of  the  seducing  priest.  Yet 
Protestant  people  continue  to  send  their  girls  to 
these  cesspools  of  iniquity. 

The  confessional  is  only  another  trap  for 
v/oman.  Is  it  elevating  to  have  married  or  un- 
married v/omen  subjected  to  the  questions  of  a 
celibate,  or  old  bachelor  priest?  In  the  confes- 
sional woman  is  compelled  to  reveal  every  word, 
thought  and  deed,  even  her  very  dreams,  to  a 
man,  who,  as  a rule,  is  not  very  strong  in  moml 
character,  while  his  brain  is  often  fired  with 
liquor.  The  character  of  the  confessional  is  such 
that  it  enables  the  priest  to  understand  thoroughly 
the  weak-  points  in  a woman’s  character. 

It  is  utterly  impossible  under  the  law,  to  trans- 
late and  print  in  the  English  language  the  infa- 
mous questions  asked  women,  and  even  little  j 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


5 


girls  in  the  Roman  confessional  box  by  old  bach- 
elor priests. 

How  degrading  all  this  must  be  on  the  lives 
of  Rome’s  women.  As  a rule  the  minds  of 
Roman  Catholic  women  are  very  impure,  the  nat- 
ural result  of  the  confessional.  What  a surprise 
to  a young  and  innocent  girl  when  she  hears  these 
things  for  the  first  time.  Her  thoughts  will 
naturally  bring  back  again  and  again  those  vile 
questions.  And  thus  the  foundation  is  laid  for 
habits  that  are  scarcely  ever  afterwards  overcome. 

The  girls  of  today  are  to  be  the  mothers  of 
tomorrow.  Girl  labor  and  long  hours  of  standing 
in  the  factories  is  one  of  the  greatest  curses  of 
the  day.  It  is  the  opinion  of  our  leading  lady 
physicians  in  this  country  that  our  girls  are 
worked  too  hard.  The  hours  that  they  are  com- 
pelled to  stand  causes  disease  and  unfits  them  to 
become  mothers.  We  have  laws  for  the  protec- 
tion of  our  animals,  but  none  for  the  protection 
of  our  working  girls.  The  horse,  after  his  day’s 
labor,  is  taken  to  his  stall  and  well  cared  for. 
The  girl,  paid  starvation  wages,  is  then  turned 
to  the  street,  and  is  often  exposed  to  the  solicita- 
tions of  our  monied  ruffians  who  crowd  our  large 
towns.  There  should  be  legislation  giving  the 
working  girls  shorter  hours  and  better  wages. 
Another  fact  links  closely  with  the  present  chain 
of  thought — the  world  will  cast  off  with  scorn 
the  fallen  girl,  and  receive  with  open  arms  the 
scoundrel  that  caused  her  ruin.  Instead  of  deal- 
ing thus  with  the  girl,  bring  up  the  villain  who 


G 


priest  and  woman 


accomplished  her  ruin  to  the  bar  of  public  opinion 
and  make  him  feel  that  he  has  committed  an 
unpardonable  sin  against  society.  If  one  of  the 
fallen  waifs  of  the  street  desires  to  mend  her 
ways  and  live  a better  life,  humbug  Christianity 
and  a false  public  opinion  will  keep  her  down. 
There  should  be  legislation  for  the  protection  of 
tender  girlhood.  The  statutes  made  and  pro- 
vided for  the  protection  of  young  girls  are,  in 
many  states,  a very  grim  and  ghostly  commentary 
upon  the  traditional  respect  of  the  Americans 
for  their  women.  In  some  states,  it  is  true,  the 
law  has  been  amended,  largely  under  the  influence 
of  the  same  cyclone  of  moral  incignation  which 
raised  the  age  of  consent  in  England  in  1855, 
from  13  to  16,  but  in  many  others  the  law  is  still 
in  a condition  to  be  a disgrace  to  heathendom. 
The  legislatures  of  Delaware,  of  Wisconsin  and 
other  states  in  the  following  list  would  seem  to 
be  composed  of  yahoos  rather  than  of  Christian 
citizens  of  a republic  founded  by  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Puritans.  The  age  of  consent — the 
technical  term  used  to  denote  the  number  of 
years  that  a girl  must  have  lived  before  she  is 
regarded  by  law  as  competent  to  consent  to  her 
own  seduction — varies  all  over  the  Union.  I 
quote  here  the  black  list  of  dishonor  from  a 
table  compiled  by  the  Philanthropist  from  official 
returns : 


Delaware 
Texas  . . . 


Age  oe  Consent. 


7 years 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


7 


Idaho  

10 

€( 

South  Dakota 

(( 

North  Carolina 

10 

(( 

Georgia  

10 

€t 

Alabama  

10 

tc 

Minnesota 

(t 

Colorado 

i( 

Kentucky 

12 

(( 

Indiana 

12 

U 

Wisconsin 

ti 

Virginia  

it 

West  Virginia 

12 

t( 

Louisiana 

(( 

Iowa 

13 

(( 

New  Hampshire 

13 

<t 

Tennessee 

13 

ti 

These  are  the  worst  states  in  the  Union  from 
this  point  of  view.  There  are  others  nearly  as 
bad.  Seventeen  states  fix  the  age  of  consent  at 
14,  and  two  at  15;  six  follow  the  English  rule 
and  place  the  age  of  consent  at  16.  Florida,  the 
most  southorn  of  all  the  states,  raises  it  to  17, 
while  Kansas  and  Wyoming  place  it  at  18.  The 
time  is  coming  when  such  laws  as  those  which 
practically  hand  over  innocent  and  unsuspecting 
girl  children  of  7 and  10  to  12  to  be  the  lawful 
prey  of  brutes  in  human  shape,  if  they  can  but 
get  their  consent,  forsooth,  to  something  of  which 
they  know  nothing,  until  it  is  too  late,  will  be 
regarded  with  as  much  shame  and  indignation  as 
the  fugitive  slave.  Certainly  as  long  as  these 
states  persist  in  leaving  defenseless  maidenhood 


8 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


without  the  protection  of  law,  the  taunts  about 
American  chivalry  and  high  regard  for  women 
and  children  sound  as  hollow  as  did  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  in  the  old  slave  states. 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  writings 
of  Maria  Monk.  It  sheds  much  light  on  the 
character  of  Rome’s  infant  murder  factories : 

‘T  went  into  the  Mother  Superior’s  parlor 
one  day  for  something  and  found  Jane  Ray  there 
alone,  looking  into  a book.  Some  time  after  this 
occasion  I was  sent  into  the  Superior’s  room  with 
Jane  to  arrange  it,  and  as  the  same  book  was 
lying  out  of  the  case,  she  said:  ‘Come  and  let 
us  look  into  it.’  I immediately  consented,  when 
she  said : ‘There,  you  have  looked  into  it,  and  if 
you  tell  on  me,  I will  tell  on  you.’ 

The  thought  of  being  subjected  to  a severe 
penance,  which  I had  reason  to  apprehend,  flut- 
tered me  very  much,  and  although  I tried  to 
overcome  my  fears,  I did  not  succeed  very  well. 
I reflected,  however,  that  the  sin  was  already 
committed,  and  that  it  would  not  be  increased  if 
I examined  the  book.  I therefore  looked  a little 
at  several  pages,  though  I still  felt  a great  deal 
of  agitation.  I saw  at  once  that  the  volume  was 
a record  of  the  entrance  of  nuns  and  novices  into 
the  convent,  and  the  births  that  had  taken  place 
in  the  convent.  Entries  of  the  last  description 
were  made  in  a brief  manner  on  the  following 
plan: 

St.  Mary,  delivered  of  a son,  March  16,  1884. 

St.  Clarice,  delivered  of  a daughter,  April  2,  1834. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


9 


St  Matilda,  delivered  of  a daughter,  April  30,  1834. 

^‘Now  I presume,  as  several  names  near  the 
beginning  I knew;  but  I can  form  only  a rough 
conjecture  of  the  number  of  infants  born,  and 
murdered,  of  course,  record  of  which  it  contained. 
I suppose  the  book  contained  at  least  one  hundred 
pages,  and  that  one-fourth  were  written  upon, 
and  that  each  page  contained  fifteen  distinct 
records.  Several  pages  were  devoted  to  the  list 
or  births.  On  this  supposition  there  must  have 
been  a large  number  which  I can  easily  believe 
to  have  been  born  there  in  the  course  of  two 
years.” 

The  following  is  from  a Roman  Catholic 
book  called  ‘'Child's  Daily  Devotions,”  published 
by  Benzinger  Bros.,  printers  to  the  Apostolic  See, 
New  York,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  copyright 
1881  by  Benzinger  Bros.,  and  bearing  the  im- 
primature,  John  Cardinal  McCloskey,  Archbishop 
of  New  York.  On  pages  138  and  139,  under  the 
“Devotion  for  Confession,  Examination,”  etc., 
you  will  find  the  following : 

Have  I read  any  immodest  books,  knowing  them  to 
be  such?  Have  I wished  to  do  so?  Have  I kept  bad 
company,  or  sought  the  society  of  bad  companions? 
Have  I been  curious  or  anxious  to  know  about  things 
about  which  it  was  wrong  or  improper  to  enquire? 
Have  I willingly  listened  to  improper  discourse?  If  at 
school,  have  I misbehaved  in  the  dormitory,  by  playing 
about  when  undressed,  etc.?  Have  I been  immodest  or 
indecent  in  the  presence  of  others?  Have  I heard  im- 
proper or  immodest  language,  or  witnessed  any  indecent 
conduct,  without  telling  my  instructors?  Have  I joined 


10 


PRIEST  AND  woman 


in  such  behavior?  Have  I said  words  of  a double 
MEANING — that  is,  have  I said  that  which  in  one  way 
might  be  taken  in  a bad  sense?  Have  I been  immodest 
in  dressing  or  undressing  myself?  Have  I written  any- 
thing in  books  or  elsewhere,  that  was  wrong  or  inde- 
cent? Have  I made  indecent  pictures  or  drawings? 
Have  I said  or  done  anything  indecent,  and  taken  pleas- 
ure in  so  doing?  Have  I ever  willingly  thought  of  any- 
thing improper  or  indecent,  or  wished  to  speak  of  such 
when  an  opportunity  might  offer  itself?  If  you  find  any 
difficulty  in  acknowledging  any  of  these  sins  or  any 
similar  fault,  tell  your  confessor  that  you  feel  this  dif- 
ficulty, and  ask  him  to  assist  you,  then  answer  his  ques- 
tio7is  with  candor  and  simplicity. 

Hear  what  Ex-Priest  Wm.  Hogan  says  on 
the  subject:  ‘‘The  following  is  as  fair  a sketch 
as  I can,  with  a due  regard  to  decency,  give  of 
the  questions  which  a Romish  priest  puts  to  a 
young  female  who  goes  to  confession  to  him. 
It  is,  however,  but  a very  brief  synopsis.  But 
first  let  the  reader  figure  to  himself,  or  herself, 
a young  lady,  between  the  ages  of  12  and  20,  on 
her  knees,  with  lips  nearly  close-pressed  to  the 
cheeks  of  the  priest,  who  in  all  probability,  is 
not  over  25  or  30  years  old — for  here  it  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  these  young  priests  are  extremely 
zealous  in  the  discharge  of  their  sacerdotal  duties, 
especially  in  hearing  confessions,  which  all 
Roman  Catholics  are  bound  to  make  under  pain 
of  eternal  damnation.  When  priest  and  penitent 
are  placed  in  the  above  attitude,  let  us  suppose 
the  following  conversation  taking  place  between 
them,  and  unless  my  readers  are  more  dull  of 
apprehension  than  I am  willing  to  believe,  they 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


11 


will  have  some  idea  of  the  ‘beauties  of  popery': 

Confessor — What  sins  have  you  committed? 

Penitent — I don't  know  of  any,  sir. 

Con. — Are  you  sure  you  did  nothing  wrong?  Exam- 
ine yourself  well. 

Pen. — Yes,  I do  recollect  that  I did  wrong.  I made 
faces  at  school  at  Lucy  A. 

Con. — Nothing  else? 

Pen. — Yes;  I told  another  that  I hated  Lucy  A,  and 
that  she  was  an  ugly  thing. 

Con. — (Scarcely  able  to  suppress  a smile  in  finding 
the  girl  perfectly  innocent) — Have  you  had  any  im- 
modest thoughts? 

Pen. — What  is  that,  sir? 

Con. — Have  you  been  thinking  about  men? 

Pen. — ^Why  yes,  sir. 

Con. — Are  you  fond  of  any  of  them? 

Pen. — Why,  yes,  sir.  I like  Cousin  A.  or  R.  greatly. 

Con. — Did  you  ever  like  to  sleep  with  him? 

Pen. — ^Oh,  no. 

Con. — How  long  did  these  thoughts  about  men  con- 
tinue? 

Pen. — Not  very  long. 

Con. — Had  you  these  thoughts  by  day,  or  by  night? 

Pen.— By 

“In  this  strain  does  this  reptile  confessor 
proceed,  till  his  now  half-gained  prey  is  filled 
with  ideas  and  thoughts  to  which  she  has  hitherto 
been  a stranger.  He  tells  her  that  she  must  come 
again  tomorrow.  She  accordingly  comes,  and  he 
gives  another  twist  to  the  screw  which  he  has 
now  firmly  fixed  upon  the  soul  and  body  of  his 
penitent.  Day  after  day,  week  after  week,  and 
month  after  month,  does  this  hapless  girl  come 
to  confession,  until  this  wretch  has  worked  up 


12 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


her  passions  to  a tension  almost  snapping,  and 
then  becomes  his  easy  prey.  I cannot,  as  I before 
stated,  detail  the  whole  process  by  which  a 
Romish  confessor  debauches  his  victims  in  the 
confessional,  but  if  curiosity  or  any  other  motive 
creates  in  the  public  mind  a desire  to  know  all 
particulars  about  it,  I refer  them  to  Antoine's 
Moral  Theology,  which  I have  read  in  the  College 
of  Maynooth ; or  to  Den’s  treatise,  'De  Pecatti's/ 
which  I have  read  in  the  same  college,  and  in  the 
same  class  with  some  of  the  Romish  priests  now 
in  the  country  hearing  confessions  and  debauch- 
ing their  penitents,  aye,  even  in  New  England, 
the  land  of  the  Pilgrims ! In  those  books  I have 
mentioned,  they  will  find  the  obscene  questions 
which  are  put  by  the  priests  and  bishops  of  the 
Romish  church  to  all  women,  young  and  old, 
married  or  single;  and  if  any  married  man  or 
father,  or  brother,  will,  after  the  perusal  of  these 
questions,  allow  his  wife,  his  daughter,  or  his 
sister,  ever  again  to  go  to  confession,  I will  only 
say  that  his  ideas  of  morality  are  more  vague  and 
loose  than  those  of  the  heathen  or  the  Turk. 
Christian  he  should  not  be  called  who  permits 
these  deeds  in  our  midst.” 

Father  Chiniquay,  who  for  twenty-five  years 
was  a priest  of  such  high  standing  and  excep- 
tionally pure  character,  and  so  fully  endorsed  by 
the  dignitaries  of  the  Church  that  they  dare  not 
vilify  him  or  dispute  a single  statement  he  makes, 
says  in  his  “Ffty  Years  in  the  Church  of  Rome,” 
page  584 : 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


13 


‘‘How  many  times  have  I wept  as  a child  when 
some  noble-hearted  and  intelligent  young  girl,  or 
some  respectable  married  woman,  yielding  to  the 
sophisms  which  I,  or  some  other  confessor,  had 
persuaded  them  to  give  up  their  self-respect  and 
the  womanly  dignity  to  speak  with  me  on  matters 
on  which  a decent  woman  should  never  say  a 
word  with  a man.  They  have  told  me  of  their 
invincible  repugnance,  their  horror  of  such  ques- 
tions and  answers,  and  they  have  asked  me  to 
have  pity  on  them.  Yes!  I have  often  wept 
bitterly  on  my  degradation,  when  a priest  of 
Rome.  He  * He  alas!  I had  soon  to  re- 

proach myself,  and  regret  those  short  instances 
of  my  wavering  faith  in  the  infallible  voice  of  my 
church. 

“How  many  times  my  God  has  spoken  to  me 
as  He  speaks  to  all  the  priests  of  Rome,  and  said 
with  a thundering  voice:  ‘What  would  that 
young  man  do  could  he  hear  the  questions  you 
put  to  his  wife?  Would  he  not  blow  out  your 
brains?’  And  that  father,  would  he  not  pass  his 
dagger  through  your  breast  if  he  could  know 
what  you  ask  from  his  poor,  trembling  daughter  ? 
Would  not  the  brother  of  that  young  girl  put  an 
end  to  your  miserable  life  if  he  could  hear  the 
unmentionable  subjects  on  which  you  speak  with 
her  in  the  confessional? 

“I  was  compelled  by  all  the  popes,  the  moral 
theologians,  and  the  Councils  of  Rome,  to  believe 
that  this  warning  voice  of  my  merciful  God  was 
the  voice  of  Satan.  I had  to  believe,  in  spite  of 


14 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


my  own  conscience  and  intelligence,  that  it  was 
good,  nay,  necessary,  to  put  those  polluting, 
damning  questions.  My  infallible  church  was 
mercilessly  forcing  me  to  oblige  those  poor, 
trembling,  weeping,  desolate  girls  and  women  to 
swim  with  me  and  all  their  priests  in  those  waters 
of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  under  the  pretext  that 
their  self-will  would  be  broken  down,  their  fear 
of  sin  and  humility  increased,  and  that  they  would 
be  purified  by  our  absolutions.’’ 

Father  Chiniquay,  on  page  386,  and  following, 
relates  a most  heart-rending  confession  made  to 
him  by  a beautiful  and  accomplished  young  lady 
who  was  ruined  by  a previous  confessor  in  the 
convent  where  she  was  educated,  and  whose  sense 
of  shame  and  agony  of  mind  caused  her  death  at 
an  early  age.  These  are  his  words : 

‘Tn  the  beginning  of  my  priesthood,  when  I 
was  in  Quebec,  I was  not  a little  surprised  and 
embarrassed  to  see  a very  accomplished  and  beau- 
tiful young  lady,  whom  I used  to  meet  almost 
every  week  at  her  father’s  house,  entering  the  box 
of  my  confessional.  She  had  been  used  to  con- 
fess to  another  young  priest  of  my  acquaintance, 
and  she  was  always  looked  upon  as  one  of  the 
most  pious  girls  in  the  city.  Though  she  had 
disguised  herself  as  much  as  possible,  in  order 
that  I might  not  know  her,  I felt  sure  that  I was 
not  mistaken — she  was  the  amiable  Mary  — . 

‘'Not  being  absolutely  certain  of  the  correct- 
ness of  my  impression,  I left  her  entirely  under 
the  hope  that  she  was  a perfect  stranger  to  me. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


15 


Af  the  beginning  she  could  hardly  speak ; her 
voice  was  suffocated  by  her  sobs,  and  through  the 
little  apertures  of  the  thin  partition  between  her 
and  me  I saw  two  streams  of  big  tears  trickling 
down  her  cheeks.  After  much  effort  she  said: 
‘Dear  Father,  I hope  you  do  not  know  me,  and 
that  you  will  never  try  to  know  me— I am  a 
desperately  great  sinner.  Oh!  I fear  that  I am 
lost!  But  if  there  is  still  a hope  for  me  to  be 
saved,  for  God’s  sake  do  not  rebuke  me!  Before 
I begin  my  confession  allow  me  to  ask  you  not  to 
pollute  my  ears  by  questions  which  our  confessors 
are  in  the  habit  of  putting  to  their  female  peni- 
tents j I have  already  been  destroyed  by  those 
<]^estions.  Before  I was  17  years  old,  God  knows 
that  His  angels  are  not  more  pure  than  I was; 
but  the  chd,pla.in  of  the  nunnery  where  my  par- 
ents had  sent  me  for  my  education,  though 
approaching  old  age,  put  to  me  in  the  confes- 
sional, questions  which  at  first,  I did  not  under- 
stand, but  unfortunately  he  had  put  the  same 
questions  to  one  of  my  young  class-mates,  who 
made  fun  of  them  in  my  presence,  and  explained 
mem  to  me;  for  she  understood  them  too  well. 
This  first  unchaste  conversation  of  my  life 
plunged  my  thoughts  into  a sea  of  iniquity,  until 
then  absolutely  unknown  to  me;  temptation  of 
the  most  humiliating  character  assailed  me  for  a 
week,  day  and  night;  after  which,  sins  which  I 
would  blot  out  with  my  blood,  if  it  were  pos- 
able, overwhelmed  my  soul  as  with  a deluge. 
But  the  joys  of  the  sinner  are  short.  Struck 


le 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


with  terror  at  the  thought  of  the  judgment  of 
God,  after  a few  weeks  of  the  most  deplorable 
life,  I determined  to  give  up  my  sins  and  recon- 
cile myself  to  God.  Covered  with  shame,  and 
trembling  from  head  to  foot,  I went  to  confess 
to  my  old  confessor,  whom  I respected  as  a saint 
and  cherished  as  a father.  It  seems  to  me  that, 
with  sincere  tears  of  repentance,  I confessed  to 
him  the  greatest  part  of  my  sins,  though  I con- 
cealed one  of  them,  through  shame  and  respect 
for  my  spiritual  guide.  But  I did  not  conceal 
from  him  that  the  strange  questions  he  had  put 
to  me  at  my  last  confession  were,  with  the  natural 
corruption  of  my  heart,  the  principal  cause  of  my 
destruction. 

“ ‘He  spoke  to  me  very  kindly,  encouraged  me 
to  fight  against  my  bad  inclinations,  and,  at  first, 
gave  me  very  kind  and  good  advice.  But  when  I 
thought  he  had  finished  speaking,  and  as  I was 
preparing  to  leave  the  confessional  box,  he  put 
to  me  two  new  questions  of  such  a polluting 
character  that,  I fear,  neither  the  blood  of  Christ 
nor  all  the  fires  of  hell  will  ever  be  able  to  blot 
them  out  of  my  memory.  These  questions  have 
achieved  my  ruin;  they  have  stuck  to  my  mind 
like  two  deadly  arrows;  they  are  day  and  nighi 
before  my  imagination;  they  fill  my  arteries  anc 
veins  with  deadly  poison. 

“ ‘It  is  true  that,  at  first,  they  filled  me  with 
horror  and  disgust;  but  alas!  I soon  got  so 
accustomed  to  them  that  they  seemed  to  be  incor- 
porated with  me,  and  as  \f  coming  a second 


i'RlES'r  AND  WOMAN 


17 


nature.  Those  thoughts  have  become  a new 
source  of  innumerable  criminal  thoughts,  desires 
and  actions. 

“ ‘A  month  later  we  were  obliged  by  the  rules 
of  our  convent  to  go  and  confess ; but  by  this  time 
I was  so  completely  lost,  that  I no  longer  blushed 
at  the  idea  of  confessing  my  shameful  sins  to  a 
man;  it  was  the  contrary.  I had  a real  diabol- 
ical pleasure  in  the  thought  that  I should  have  a 
long  conversation  with  my  confessor  on  those 
matters,  and  that  he  would  ask  me  more  of  his 
strange  questions.  In  fact,  when  I had  told  him 
everything  without  a blush,  he  began  to  inter- 
rogate me,  and  God  knows  what  corrupting  things 
fell  from  his  lips  into  my  poor,  criminal  heart! 
Every  one  of  his  questions  was  thrilling  my  nerves 
and  filling  me  with  the  most  shameful  sensa- 
tions ! After  an  hour  of  this  criminal  tete-a-tete 
with  my  old  confessor  (for  it  was  nothing  else 
but  a criminal  tete-a-tete)  I perceived  that  he  was 
as  depraved  as  I was  myself.  With  some  half- 
covered  words,  he  made  a criminal  proposition, 
which  I accepted  with  covered  words  also;  and 
during  more  than  a year  we  have  lived  together 
in  the  most  sinful  intimacy.  Though  he  was 
much  older  than  I,  I loved  him  in  the  most  foolish 
way.  When  the  course  of  my  convent  instruction 
was  finished,  my  parents  called  me  back  to  their 
home.  I was  really  glad  of  that  change  of  resi- 
dence, for  I was  beginning  to  be  tired  of  my  crim- 
inal life.  My  hope  was  that,  under  the  directions 


18 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


of  a better  confessor,  I should  reconcile  myself 
to  God  and  begin  a Christian  life. 

“ ‘Unfortunately  for  me,  my  new  confessor, 
who  was  very  young,  began  also  his  interroga- 
tions. He  soon  fell  in  love  with  me,  and  I loved 
him  in  the  most  criminal  way.  I have  done  with 
him  things  which  I hope  you  will  never  request 
me  to  reveal  to  you,  for  they  are  too  monstrous 
to  be  repeated,  even  in  the  confessional,  by  a 
woman  to  a man. 

“ ‘I  do  not  say  these  things  to  take  away  the 
responsibility  of  my  iniquities  with  my  young 
confessor  from  my  shoulders,  for  I think  I have 
been  more  criminal  than  he  was.  It  is  my  firm 
conviction  that  he  was  a good  and  holy  priest 
before  he  knew  me;  but  the  questions  he  had 
put  to  me,  and  the  answers  I had  to  give  him, 
melted  his  heart — I know  it— just  as  boiling  lead 
would  melt  the  ice  on  which  it  flows. 

“ ‘I  know  this  is  not  such  a detailed  confession 
as  our  holy  church  requires  me  to  make,  but  I 
have  thought  it  necessary  for  me  to  give  you  this 
short  history  of  the  life  of  the  greatest  and  most 
miserable  sinner  who  ever  asked  you  to  help  her 
to  come  out  from  the  tomb  of  her  iniquities.  This 
is  the  way  I have  lived  these  last  few  years.  But 
last  Sabbath,  God,  in  His  infinite  mercy,  looked 
dov/n  upon  me.  He  inspired  you  to  give  us  the 
Prodigal  Son  as  a model  of  true  conversion,  and 
as  the  most  marvelous  proof  of  the  infinite  com- 
passion of  the  dear  Saviour  for  the  sinner.  I 
have  wept  day  and  night  since  that  happy  day 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN  19 

when  I threw  myself  into  the  arms  of  my  loving, 
merciful  father.  Even  now,  I can  hardly  speak, 
because  my  regret  for  my  past  iniquities,  and  my 
joy  that  I am  allowed  to  bathe  the  feet  of  my 
Saviour  with  tears,  are  so  great  that  my  voice  is 
cho-ked. 

‘You  understand  that  I have  forever  given 
up  my  last  confessor.  I come  to  ask  you  to  do 
me  the  favor  to  receive  me  among  your  penitents. 
Oh!  do  not  reject  nor  rebuke  me,  for  the  dear 
Saviour’s  sake!  Be  not  afraid  to  have  at  your 
side  such  a monster  of  iniquity!  But  before 
going  further,  I have  two  favors  to  ask  from 
you:  The  first  is,  that  you  will  never  do  any- 
thing to  ascertain  my  name;  the  second  is,  that 
you  will  never  put  to  me  any  of  those  questions 
by  which  so  many  penitents  are  lost,  and  so  many 
priests  forever  destroyed.  Twice  I have  been 
lost  my  those  questions.  We  come  to  our  con- 
fessors that  they  may  throw  upon  our  guilty 
souls  the  pure  waters  which  flow  from  heaven  to 
purify  us ; but  instead  of  that,  with  their  unmen- 
tionable questions,  they  pour  oil  on  the  burning 
fires,  which  are  already  raging  in  our  poor,  sinful 
hearts.  Oh!  dear  father,  let  me  become  your 
penitent,  that  you  may  help  me  to  go  and  weep 
with  Magdalene  at  the  Saviour’s  feet!  Do 
respect  me,  as  He  respected  that  true  model  of 
all  the  sinful,  but  repenting  women!  Did  our 
Saviour  put  to  her  any  question  ? Did  he  extort 
from  her  the  history  of  things  which  a sinful 
woman  cannot  say  without  forgetting  the  respect 


20  PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 

she  owes  to  herself  and  to  God ? No!  You  told 
us  not  long  ago  that  the  only  thing  our  Saviour 
did  was  to  look  at  her  tears  and  her  love.  Well, 
please  do  that,  and  you  will  save  me !’ 

“I  was  then  a very  young  priest,  and  never 
had  any  words  so  sublime  come  to  my  ears  in 
the  confessional  box.  Her  tears  and  her  sobs, 
mingled  with  the  frank  declaration  of  the  most 
humiliating  actions,  had  made  such  a profound 
impression  upon  me  that  I was  for  some  time 
unable  to  speak.  It  had  come  to  my  mind  also 
that  I might  be  mistagen  about  her  identity,  and 
that  perhaps  she  was  not  the  young  lady  that  I 
had  imagined.  I could,  then,  easily  grant  her 
first  request,  which  was  to  do  nothing  by  which 
I could  know  her.  The  second  part  of  her  prayer 
was  more  embarrassing;  for  the  theologians  are 
very  positive  in  ordering  the  confessors  to  ques- 
tion their  penitents,  particularly  those  of  the 
female  sex,  in  many  circumstances. 

“I  encouraged  her  in  the  best  way  I could,  to 
persevere  in  her  good  resolutions,  by  invoking  the 
blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  St.  Philomene,  who  was, 
then  Sainte  a la  mode,  just  as  Marie  Alacoque  is 
today,  among  the  blind  slaves  of  Rome.  I told 
her  that  I would  pray  and  think  over  the  subject 
of  her  second  request  ;and  I asked  her  to  come 
back  in  a week  for  my  answer. 

“The  very  same  day,  I went  to  my  own  con- 
fessor, the  Rev.  Mr.  Baillargeon,  then  Curate  of 
Quebec,  and  afterwards  Archbishop  of  Canada. 
I told  him  the  singular  and  unusual  request  she 


priest  and  woman  81 

had  made,  that  I should  never  put  to  her  any  of 
those  questions  suggested  by  the  theologians,  to 
insure  the  integrity  of  the  confession.  ^ I did  not 
conceal  from  him  that  I was  much  inclined  to 
grant  her  that  favor;  for  I repeated  what  I had 
already  several  times  told  him,  that  I was 
supremely  disgusted  with  the  infamous  and  pol- 
luting questions  which  the  theologians  forced  us 
to  put  to  our  female  penitents.  I told  him  frankly 
that  several  young  and  old  priests  had  already 
come  to  confess  to  me,  and  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two,  they  had  told  me  they  could  not  put 
those  questions  and  hear  the  censures  they  elicited 
w^hout  falling  into  the  most  damnable  sins. 

“My  confessor  seemed  to  be  much  perplexed 
about  what  he  should  answer.  He  asked  me  to 
come  again  the  next  day,  that  he  might  review 
some  theological  books  in  the  interval.  The  next 
day  I took  down  in  writing  his  answer,  which  I 
find  in  my  old  manuscripts,  and  I give  here  in 
all  its  sad  cruelty:  'Such  cases  of  the  destruction 
of  female  wtue  by  the  questions  of  the  confes- 
sional is  an  unavoidable  evil.  It  cannot  be  helped ; 
for  such  questions  are  absolutely  necessary  in 
the  greater  part  of  the  cases  with  which  we  have 
to  deal.  Men  generally  confess  their  sins  with 
so  much  sincerity  that  there  is  seldom  any  need 
for  questioning  them,  except  when  they  are  very 
ignorant.  But  St.  Liguori,  as  well  as  our  personal 
observation,  tells  us  that  the  larger  number  of 
girls  and  women,  through  a false  and  criminal 
shame,  very,  very  seldom  confess  the  sins  they 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 

commit  against  purity.  It  requires  the  utmost 
charity  in  the  confessors  to  prevent  these  unfor- 
tunate slaves  of  their  secret  passions  from  making 
sacrilegious  confessions  and  communions.  With 
the  greatest  prudence  and  zeal  he  must  question 
them  on  those  matters,  beginning  with  the  small- 
est sins,  and  going,  little  by  little,  as  much  as 
possible  by  imperceptible  degrees,  to  the  most 
criminal  actions.  As  it  seems  evident  that  the 
penitent  referred  to  in  your  questions  of  yester- 
day, is  unwilling  to  make  a full  and  detailed  con- 
fession of  all  her  iniquities,  you  cannot  promise 
to  absolve  her  without  assuring  yourself,  by  wise 
and  prudent  questions  that  she  had  confessed 
everything. 

''  ‘You  must  not  be  discouraged  when,  through 
the  confessional,  or  any  other  way,  you  learn  the 
fall  of  priests  into  the  common  frailties  of  human 
nature,  with  their  penitents.  Our  Saviour  knew 
very  well  that  the  occasions  and  the  temptations 
we  have  to  encounter,  in  the  confessions  of  girls 
and  women,  are  so  numerous,  and  sometimes  so 
irresistible,  that  many  would  fall.  But  He  has 
given  them  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary,  who  constantly 
asks  and  obtains  their  pardon.  He  has  given 
them  the  sacrament  of  penance,  where  they  can 
receive  their  pardon  as  often  as  they  ask  for  it. 
The  man  of  perfect  chastity  is  a great  honor  and 
privilege;  but  we  cannot  conceal  from  ourselves 
that  it  puts  on  our  shoulders  a burden  that  many 
cannot  carry  forever.  St.  Ligouri  says  that  we 
must  not  rebuke  the  penitent  priest  who  falls  only 


priest  and  woman 


23 


once  a month;  and  some  other  trustworthy 
theologians  are  still  more  charitable.’ 

‘'This  answer  was  far  from  satisfying  me.  It 
seemed  to  me  composed  of  soft-soap  principles. 
I went  back  with  a heavy  heart  and  an  anxious 
mind ; and  God  knows  that  I made  many  fervent 
prayers  that  this  girl  should  never  come  again  to 
give  me  her  sad  history.  I was  then  hardly  26 
years  old,  full  of  youth  and  life.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  the  stings  of  a thousand  wasps  to  my  ears 
could  not  do  me  so  much  harm  as  the  words  of 
that  dear,  beautiful,  accomplished,  but  lost  girl. 
I do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  revelations  which 
she  made  had,  in  any  way,  diminished  my  esteem 
and  my  respect  for  her.  It  was  just  the  contrary. 
Her  tears  and  her  sobs  at  my  feet ; her  agonized 
expressions  of  shame  and  regret ; her  noble  words 
of  protest  against  the  disgusting  and  polluting 
interrogations  of  the  confessors,  had  raised  her 
very  high  in  my  mind.  My  sincere  hope  was  that 
she  would  have  a place  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
with  the  Samaritan  woman,  Mary  Magdalene, 
and  all  the  sinners  who  have  washed  their  robes 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

“At  the  appointed  day,  I was  in  my  confes- 
sional, listening  to  the  confession  of  a young  man, 
when  I saw  Miss  Mary  entering  the  vestry,  and 
coming  directly  to  my  confessional  box,  where 
she  knelt  by  me.  Though  she  had,  still  more  than 
at  the  first  time,  disguised  herself  behind  a long, 
thick,  black  veil,  I could  not  be  mistaken ; she  was 
the  very  same  amiable  young  lady  in  whose 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


S4 

father^s  house  I used  to  pass  such  pleasant  and 
happy  hours.  I had  often  listened  with  breathless 
attention  to  her  melodious  voice,  when  she  was 
giving  us,  accompanied  by  her  piano,  some  of  our 
beautiful  church  hymns.  Who  could  then  see  and 
hear  her  without  almost  worshipping  her?  The 
dignity  of  her  steps  and  her  whole  mien,  when 
she  advanced  toward  my  confessional,  entirely 
betrayed  her  and  destroyed  her  incognito. 

'‘Oh ! I would  have  given  every  drop  of  my 
blood  in  that  solemn  hour,  that  I might  have  been 
free  to  deal  with  her  just  as  she  had  so  eloquently 
requested  me  to  do — to  let  her  weep  and  cry  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus  to  her  heart's  cc«itent.  Oh!  If 
I had  been  free  to  take  her  by  the  hand,  and 
silently  show  her  the  dying  Saviour,  that  she 
might  have  bathed  His  feet  with  her  tears,  and 
spread  the  oil  of  her  love  on  His  head,  without 
my  saying  else  but  'Go  in  peace,  thy  sins  are  for- 
given r 

"But,  there,  in  that  confessional  box,  I was 
not  the  servant  of  Christ,  to  follow  His  divine, 
saving  words,  and  obey  the  dictates  of  my  honest 
conscience.  I was  the  slave  of  the  Pope ! I had 
to  stifle  the  cry  of  my  conscience,  to  ignore  the 
inspirations  of  my  God!  There  my  conscience 
had  no  right  to  speak ; my  intelligence  was  a dead 
thing!  The  theologians  of  the  Pope,  alone,  had 
a right  to  be  heard  and  obeyed ! I was  not  there 
to  save,  but  to  destroy ; for,  under  the  pretext  of 
purifying,  the  real  mission  of  the  confessor,  often, 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


25 


if  not  always,  in  spite  of  himself,  is  to  scandalize 
and  damn  their  souls. 

‘‘As  soon  as  the  young  man  who  was  making 
his  confession  at  my  left  hand,  had  finished,  I, 
without  noise,  turned  myself  toward  her  and  said, 
through  the  little  aperture:  ‘Are  you  ready  to 
begin  your  confession?’ 

“But  she  did  not  answer  me.  All  that  I 
could  hear  was : ‘Oh,  my  Jesus,  have  mercy  upon 
me ! I come  to  wash  my  soul  in  Thy  blood ; wilt 
Thou  rebuke  me?’ 

“During  several  minutes  she  raised  her  hands 
and  eyes  to  heaven,  and  wept  and  prayed.  It  was 
evident  that  she  had  not  the  least  idea  that  I was 
observing  her;  she  thought  the  door  of  the  little 
partition  between  her  and  me  was  shut.  But  my 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  her ; my  tears  were  flowing 
with  her  tears,  and  my  ardent  prayers  were  going 
to  the  feet  of  Jesus  with  her  prayers.  I would 
not  have  interrupted  her  for  any  consideration, 
in  this,  her  sublime  communication  with  her  mer- 
ciful Saviour. 

“But  after  a pretty  long  time,  I made  a little 
noise  with  my  hand,  and  putting  my  lips  near  the 
opening  of  the  partition  which  was  between  us, 
I said  in  a low  voice : ‘Dear  sister,  are  you  ready 
to  begin  your  confession?’ 

“She  turned  her  face  a little  towards  me,  and 
said  with  trembling  voice:  ‘Yes,  dear  father,  I 
am  ready.’ 

“But  she  then  stopped  again  to  weep  and  pray, 
though  I could  hear  what  she  said. 


26 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


‘‘After  some  time  in  silent  prayer,  I said:  ‘My 
dear  sister,  if  you  are  ready,  please  begin  your 
confession/  She  then  said:  ‘My  dear  father, 
do  you  remember  the  prayers  which  I made  to 
you,  the  other  day?  Can  you  allow  me  to  confess 
my  sins  without  forcing  me  to  forget  the  respect 
that  I owe  to  myself,  to  you,  and  to  God  who 
hears  us?  And  can  you  promise  that  you  will 
not  put  to  me  any  of  those  questions  which  have 
already  done  me  such  irreparable  injury?  I 
frankly  declare  to  you  that  there  are  sins  in  me 
that  I cannot  reveal  to  anyone,  except  to  Christ, 
because  He  is  my  God,  and  that  He  already 
knows  them  all.  Let  me  weep  and  cry  at  His  feet. 
Can  you  not  forgive  me  without  adding  to  my 
iniquities  by  forcing  me  to  say  things  that  the 
tongue  of  a Christian  woman  cannot  reveal  to  a 
man  ?’ 

“ ‘My  dear  sister,’  I answered,  ‘were  I free  to 
follow  the  voice  of  my  own  feelings  I would  be 
only  too  happy  to  grant  your  request;  but  I am 
here  only  as  the  minister  of  our  holy  church,  and 
bound  to  obey  the  laws.  Through  her  most  holy 
popes  and  theologians,  she  tells  me  that  I cannot 
forgive  your  sins,  if  you  do  not  confess  them  all, 
just  as  you  have  committed  them.  The  church 
tells  me  also  that  you  must  give  the  details,  which 
may  add  to  the  malice  or  change  the  nature  of 
your  sins.  I am  sorry  to  tell  you  that  our  most 
holy  theologians  make  it  a duty  of  our  confessors 
to  question  the  penitent  on  the  sins  which  he  has 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


27 


good  reason  to  suspect  have  been  voluntarily 
omitted. 

“With  a piercing  cry  she  exclaimed:  ^Then, 
O,  my  God!  I am  lost — forever  lost!* 

“This  cry  fell  upon  me  like  a thunderbolt; 
but  I was  still  more  terror-stricken  when,  look- 
ing through  the  aperture,  I saw  she  was  fainting ; 
I heard  the  noise,  of  her  body  falling  upon  the 
floor,  and  of  her  head  striking  against  the  sides 
of  the  confessional  box. 

“Quick  as  lightning  I ran  to  help  her,  took  her 
in  my  arms  and  called  a couple  of  men  who  were 
at  a little  distance,  to  assist  me  in  laying  her  on 
a bench.  1 washed  her  face  with  some  cold 
water  and  vinegar.  She  was  as  pale  as  death, 
but  her  lips  were  moving,  and  she  was  saying 
something  which  nobody  but  I could  understand : 

“ 7 am  lost — lost  forever!** 

“We  took  her  home  to  her  disconsolate  fam- 
ily, where  during  a month  she  lingered  between 
life  and  death.  Her  first  two  confessors  came  to 
visit  her ; but  having  asked  everyone  to  go  out  of 
the  room,  she  politely,  but  absolutely,  requested 
them  to  go  away,  and  never  come  again.  She 
asked  me  to  visit  her  every  day,  Tor,'  she  said, 
7 have  only  a few  more  days  to  live.  Help  me 
to  prepare  myself  for  the  solemn  hour  when  will 
open  to  me  the  gates  of  eternity !' 

“Every  day  I visited  her,  and  I prayed  and  I 
wept  with  her. 

“Many  times,  when  alone,  with  tears  I re- 


28 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


quested  her  to  finish  her  confession,  but,  with  a 
firmness  which,  then,  seemed  to  be  mysterious 
and  inexplicable,  she  politely  rebuked  me. 

‘‘One  day,  when  alone  with  her,  I was  kneel- 
ing by  the  side  of  her  bed  to  pray,  I was  unable 
to  articulate  a single  word,  because  of  the  inex- 
pressible anguish  of  my  soul  on  her  account,  she 
asked  me : ‘Dear  Father,  why  do  you  weep  ?' 

“I  answered,  ‘How  can  you  put  such  a ques- 
tion to  your  murderer!  I weep  because  I have 
killed  you,  dear  friend  T 

“This  answer  seemed  to  trouble  her  exceed- 
ingly. After  she  had  wept  and  prayed  in  silence, 
she  said : ‘Do  not  weep  for  me,  but  weep  for  so 
many  priests  who  destroy  their  penitents  in  the 
confessional.  I believe  in  the  holiness  of  the 
sacrament  of  penance,  since  our  holy  church  has 
established  it.  But  there  is,  somewhere,  some- 
thing exceedingly  wrong  in  the  confessional. 
Twice  I have  been  destroyed,  and  I know  many 
girls  who  have  also  been  destroyed  by  the  con- 
fessional. This  is  a secret,  but  will  that  secret 
be  kept  forever  ? I pity  the  poor  priests  the  day 
that  our  fathers  will  know  what  becomes  of  the 
purity  of  their  daughters  in  the  hands  of  their 
confessors.  Father  would  surely  kill  my  last  tv/o 
confessors,  if  he  could  only  know  they  have  de- 
stroyed his  poor  child.’ 

“I  could  not  answer  except  by  weeping. 

“We  remained  silent  for  a long  time ; then  she 
said : ‘It  is  true  that  I was  not  prepared  for  the 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


29 


rebuke  you  have  given  me,  the  other  day,  in  the 
confessional;  but  you  acted  conscientiously,  as  a 
good  and  honest  priest.  I know  you  must  be 
bound  by  certain  laws.’ 

'‘She  then  pressed  my  hand  with  her  cold  hand 
and  said:  “Weep  not,  dear  Father,  because  that 
sudden  storm  has  wrecked  my  too  fragile  bark. 
This  storm  was  to  take  me  out  from  the  bottom- 
less sea  of  my  iniquities  to  the  shore  where  Jesus 
was  v/aiting  to  receive  and  pardon  me.  The  night 
after  you  brought  me,  half  dead,  here  to  father’s 
house,  I had  a dream.  Oh,  no!  it  was  not  a 
dream,  it  was  a reality.  My  Jesus  came  to  me. 
He  was  bleeding;  His  crown  of  thorns  was  on 
His  head,  the  heavy  cross  was  bruising  His  shoul- 
ders. He  said  to  me,  with  a voice  so  sweet  that 
no  human  tongue  can  imitate  it : T have  seen  thy 
tears,  I have  heard  thy  cries  and  I know  thy  love 
for  Me.  Thy  sins  are  forgiven;  take  courage; 
in  a few  days  thou  shalt  be  with  Me !’ 

“She  had  hardly  finished  her  last  words  when 
she  fainted,  and  I feared  lest  she  should  die  just 
then,  when  I was  alone  with  her. 

“I  called  the  family,  who  rushed  into  the 
room.  The  doctor  was  sent  for.  He  found  her 
so  weak  that  he  thought  it  proper  to  allow  only 
one  or  two  persons  to  remain  in  the  room  with 
me.  He  requested  us  not  to  speak  at  all : ‘For,’ 
said  he,  'the  least  emotion  might  kill  her  instantly ; 
her  disease  is,  in  all  probability,  an  aneurism  of 
the  aorta,  the  big  vein  which  brings  the  blood  to 


30 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


the  heart ; when  it  breaks  she  will  go  as  quick  as 
lightning/ 

‘‘It  was  nearly  10  at  night  when  I left  the 
house  to  go  and  take  some  rest.  But  it  is  not 
necessary  to  say  that  I passed  a sleepless  night. 
My  dear  Mary  was  there,  pale,  dying  from  the 
deadly  blow  which  I had  given  her  in  the  con- 
fessional. She  was  there,  on  her  bed  of  death, 
her  heart  pierced  with  the  dagger  which  my 
church  had  put  into  my  hands!  and  instead  of 
rebuking  and  cursing  me  for  my  savage,  merci- 
less fanaticism,  she  was  blessing  me!  She  was 
dying  from  a broken  heart ; and  I was  not  allowed 
by  my  church  to  give  her  a single  word  of  con- 
solation and  hope,  for  she  had  not  made  her  con- 
fession! I had  mercilessly  bruised  that  tender 
plant,  and  there  was  nothing  in  my  hands  to  heal 
the  wounds  I had  made ! 

“It  was  very  probable  that  she  would  die  the 
next  day,  and  I was  forbidden  to  show  her  the 
crown  of  glory  which  Jesus  has  prepared  in  His 
kingdom  for  the  repenting  sinner. 

“My  desolation  was  really  unspeakable,  and 
I think  I would  have  been  suffocated  and  have 
died  that  night,  if  the  stream  of  tears  which  con- 
tinually flowed  from  my  eyes  had  not  been  as  a 
balm  to  my  distressed  heart. 

“How  dark  and  long  the  hours  of  that  night 
seemed  to  me ! 

“Before  the  dawn  of  day,  I arose  to  read  my 
theologians  again,  and  see  if  I could  not  find 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


31 


some  one  who  would  allow  me  to  forgive  the  sins 
of  that  dear  child,  without  forcing  her  to  tell  me 
anything  she  had  done.  But  they  seemed  to  me, 
more  than  ever,  unanimously  inexorable,  and  I 
put  them  back  on  the  shelves  of  my  library  with 
a heavy  heart. 

‘^At  9 :00  A.  M.  the  next  day,  I was  by  the  bed 
of  our  dear,  sick  Mary.  I cannot  sufficiently  tell 
the  joy  I felt,  when  the  doctor  and  the  whole 
family  said  to  me:  'She  is  much  better;  the  rest 
of  last  night  has  wrought  a marvelous  change, 
indeed. 

"With  a really  angelic  smile  she  extended  her 
hand  toward  me,  that  I might  press  it  in  mine, 
and  she  said:  'I  thought  last  evening  that  the 
dear  Saviour  would  take  me  to  Him,  but  He 
wants  me,  dear  Father,  to  give  you  a little  more 
trouble;  however,  be  patient,  it  cannot  be  long 
before  the  solemn  hour  of  the  appeal  will  ring. 
Will  you  please  read  me  the  history  of  the  suffer- 
ing and  death  of  the  beloved  Saviour,  which  you 
read  me  the  other  day  ? It  does  me  so  much  good 
to  see  how  He  has  loved  me,  such  a miserable 
sinner.’ 

"There  was  a calm  and  solemnity  in  her  words 
which  struck  me  singularly,  as  well  as  all  those 
who  were  there. 

"After  I had  finished  reading,  she  exclaimed : 
'He  has  loved  me  so  much  that  He  , died  for  my 
sins !’  And  she  shut  her  eyes  as  if  to  meditate  in 
silence,  but  there  was  a stream  of  big  tears  rolling 
down  her  cheeks. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


knelt  down  by  her  bed,  with  her  family,  to 
pray;  but  I could  not  utter  a single  word.  The 
idea  that  this  dear  child  was  there,  dying  from 
the  cruel  fanaticism  of  my  theologians  and  my 
own  cowardice  in  obeying  them,  was  a mill-stone 
to  my  neck.  It  was  killing  me. 

'‘Oh!  If,  by  dying  a thousand  times,  I could 
have  added  a single  day  to  her  life,  with  what 
pleasure  I v/ould  have  accepted  those  thousand 
deaths  I 

"After  we  had  silent  prayer  and  wept  by  her 
bedside,  she  requested  her  mother  to  leave  her 
alone  with  me. 

"When  I saw  myself  alone,  under  the  irre- 
sistible impression  that  this  was  her  last  day,  I 
fell  on  my  knees  again,  and  with  tears  of  the  most 
sincere  compassion  for  her  soul,  I requested  her 
to  shake  off  her  shame  and  to  obey  our  holy 
church,  which  requires  every  one  to  confess  their 
sins  if  they  want  to  be  forgiven. 

"She  calmly,  but  with  an  air  of  dignity  which 
no  human  words  can  express,  said:  Ts  it  true, 
that,  after  the  sins  of  Adam  and  Eve,  God  himself 
made  coats  and  skins,  and  clothed  them  that  they 
might  not  see  each  others’  nakedness  ?’ 

" ‘Yes,’  I said,  'this  is  what  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures tell  us.’ 

" 'Well,  then,  how  is  it  possible  that  our  con- 
fessors dare  to  take  away  from  us  that  holy, 
divine  coat  of  modesty  and  self-respect?  Has  not 
Almighty  God  Himself  made,  with  His  own 
Iiands^  that  coat  of  womanly  modesty  and  self- 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


33 


respect  that  we  might  not  be  to  you  and  our- 
selves, a cause  of  shame  and  sin?’ 

was  really  stunned  by  the  beauty,  simplicity 
and  sublimity  of  that  comparison.  I remained 
absolutely  mute  and  confounded.  Though  it  was 
demolishing  all  the  traditions  and  doctrines  of  my 
church,  and  pulverizing  all  my  holy  doctors  and 
theologians,  that  noble  answer  found  such  an  echo 
in  my  soul,  that  it  seemed  to  me  a sacrilege  to  try 
to  touch  it  v/ith  my  finger. 

^‘After  a short  time  of  silence  she  continued: 
'Twice  I have  been  destroyed  by  priests  in  the 
confessional.  They  took  away  from  me  that 
divine  coat  of  modesty  and  self-respect  which 
God  gives  to  every  human  being  who  comes  into 
this  world,  and  twice  I have  become  for  those 
very  priests  a deep  pit  of  perdition  into  which 
they  have  fallen,  and  where,  I fear,  they  are  for- 
ever lost!  My  merciful.  Heavenly  Father  has 
given  me  back  that  coat  of  skins,  that  nuptial  robe 
of  m.odesty,  self-respect  and  holiness,  which  had 
been  taken  away  from  me.  He  cannot  allow  you 
or  any  other  man,  to  tear  again  and  spoil  that 
vestment  which  is  the  work  of  His  hands.’ 

"These  words  had  exhausted  her;  it  was  evi- 
dent to  me  that  she  wanted  some  rest.  I left  her 
alone,  but  I was  absolutely  beside  myself.  Filled 
with  admiration  for  the  sublime  lessons  which  I 
had  received  from  the  lips  of  that  regenerated 
daughter  of  Christ,  who,  it  was  evident,  was  soon 
to  fly  away  from  us,  I felt  a supreme  disgust  for 
myself,  my  theologians — shall  I say  it? — yes,  I 


34 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


felt  in  that  solemn  hour  a supreme  disgust  for  my 
church  which  was.  cruelly  defiling  me  and  all  her 
priests  in  the  confessional  box.  I felt,  in  that 
hour,  a supreme  horror  for  that  auricular  confes- 
sion, which  is  so  often  a pit  of  perdition  and 
supreme  misery  for  the  confessor  and  penitent. 
I went  out  and  walked  for  two  hours  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham,  to  breathe  pure  and  refresh- 
ing air  of  the  mountains.  There,  alone,  I sat  on 
a stone,  on  the  very  spot  where  Wolf  and  Mont- 
calm fought  and  died;  and  I wept  to  my  heart's 
content,  on  my  irreparable  degradation,  and  the 
degradation  of  so  many  priests  through  the  con- 
fessional. 

'^At  4 o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I went  back 
again  to  the  house  of  my  dear,  dying  Mary.  The 
mother  took  me  apart,  and  very  politely  said; 
‘My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquay,  do  you  not  think  it  is 
time  that  our  dear  child  should  receive  the  last 
sacraments?  She  seemed  to  be  much  better  this 
morning,  and  we  were  full  of  hope;  but  she  is 
now  rapidly  sinking.  Please  lose  no  time  in  giving 
her  the  holy  viaticum  and  the  extreme  unction.' 

‘T  said:  ‘Yes,  madam;  let  me  pass  a few 
moments  alone  with  our  dear  child,  that  I may 
prepare  her  for  the  last  sacraments.' 

“When  alone  with  her,  I again  fell  on  my 
knees,  and,  amidst  torrents  of  tears,  I said : ‘My 
dear  sister,  it  is  my  desire  to  give  you  the  holy 
viaticum  and  the  extreme  unction;  but  tell  me, 
how  can  I dare  to  do  a thing  so  solemn  against  all 
the  prohibitions  of  our  holy  church  ? How  can  I 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


35 


give  you  the  holy  communion  without  first  giving 
you  absolution  ? And  how  can  I give  you  absolu- 
tion when  you  earnestly  persist  in  telling  me  that 
you  have  so  many  sins  which  you  will  never  de- 
clare to  me  or  any  other  confessor  ? 

‘‘  ‘You  know  that  I cherish  and  respect  you  as 
if  you  were  an  angel  sent  to  me  from  heaven. 
You  told  me,  the  other  day,  that  you  blest  the  day 
that  you  first  saw  and  knew  me.  I say  the  same 
thing.  I bless  the  days  that  I have  known  you. 
I bless  every  hour  that  I have  spent  by  your  bed 
of  suffering;  I bless  every  tear  which  I have  shed 
with  you  on  your  sins  and  on  my  own;  I bless 
every  hour  we  have  passed  together  in  looking 
to  the  wounds  of  our  beloved,  dying  Saviour ; I 
bless  you  for  having  forgiven  me  your  death! 
for  I know  it,  and  I confess  it  in  the  presence  of 
God — I have  killed  you,  dear  sister.  But  now  I 
prefer  a thousand  times  to  die  than  to  say  to  you 
a word  which  would  pain  you  in  any  way,  or 
trouble  the  peace  of  your  soul.  Please,  my  dear 
sister,  tell  me  what  I can  and  must  do  for  you  in 
this  solemn  hour  ?’ 

“Calmly  and  with  a smile  of  joy  such  as  I had 
never  seen  before,  nor  seen  since,  she  said:  ‘I 
thank  and  bless  you,  dear  Father,  for  the  parable 
of  the  Prodigal  Son,  on  which  you  preached  a 
month  ago.  You  have  brought  me  to  the  feet  of 
the  dear  Saviour ; there  I have  found  a peace  and 
a joy  surpassing  anything  that  human  heart  can 
feel;  I have  thrown  myself  into  the  arms  of  my 
Heavenly  Father,  and  I know  He  has  mercifully 


36 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


accepted  and  forgiven  His  poor,  prodigal  child! 
Oh,  I see  the  angels  with  their  golden  harps 
around  the  throne  of  the  Lamb ! Do  you  not  hear 
the  celestial  harmony  of  their  songs  ? I go — I go 
to  join  them  in  my  Father’s  house.  I Shai^i,  Not 
Be;  Lost  !’ 

“While  she  was  thus  speaking  to  me,  my 
eyes  were  really  turned  into  two  fountains  of 
tears;  I was  unable,  as  well  as  unwilling,  to  see 
anything,  so  entirely  overcome  was  I by  the 
sublime  words  which  were  flowing  from  the  dying 
lips  of  that  dear  child,  who  was  no  more  a sinner, 
but  a real  angel  of  heaven  to  me.  I was  listening 
to  her  words ; there  was  a celestial  music  in  every 
one  of  them.  But  she  had  raised  her  voice  in 
such  a strange  way  when  she  had  begun  to  say, 
‘I  go  to  my  Father’s  house,’  and  she  had  made 
such  a cry  of  joy  when  she  had  let  the  last 
words,  ‘not  be  lost,’  escape  her  lips,  that  I had 
raised  my  head  and  opened  my  eyes  to  look  at 
her.  I suspected  that  something  strange  had 
occurred. 

“I  got  upon  my  feet,  passed  my  handkerchief 
over  my  face  to  wipe  away  the  tears  which  were 
preventing  me  from  seeing  with  accuracy,  and 
looked  at  her. 

“Her  hands  were  crossed  on  her  breast,  and 
there  was  on  her  face  the  expression  of  a really 
superhuman  joy;  her  beautiful  eyes  were  fixed 
as  if  they  were  looking  on  some  grand  and  sub- 
lime spectacle;  it  seemed  to  me  at  first,  that  she 
was  praying. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


37 


that  very  instant,  the  mother  rushed  into 
the  room,  crying:  ‘My  God!  My  God!  What 
does  that  cry  'lost'  mean?’  For  her  last  words, 
‘not  be  lost,’  particularly  the  last  one,  had  been 
pronounced  with  such  a powerful  voice,  that  they 
had  been  heard  almost  everywhere  in  the  house. 

“I  made  a sign  with  my  hand  to  prevent  tlie 
distressed  mother  from  making  any  noise  and 
troubling  her  dying  child  in  her  prayer,  for  I 
really  thought  that  she  had  stopped  speaking,  as 
she  used  so  often  to  do,  when  alone  with  me,  in 
order  to  pray.  But  I was  mistaken.  The  re- 
deemed soul  had  gone,  on  the  golden  wings  of 
love,  to  join  the  multitude  of  those  who  have 
washed  their  robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  to 
sing  the  eternal  Aklleluia. 

“The  revelation  of  the  unmentionable  corrup- 
tions directly  and  unavoidably  engendered  by 
auricular  confession,  had  come  to  me  from  the 
lips  of  that  young  lady,  as  the  first  rays  of  the 
sun  which  were  to  hurl  back  the  dark  clouds  of 
night  by  which  Rome  had  wrapped  my  intelligence 
on  that  subject/’ 


38 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


The  Horrible  Deeds  of 
Modern  Romanism 

This  article  appeared  twelve  years  ago  in  ^^The 
Rocky  Mountain  American,''  published  at  Denver, 
Col.  We  recommend  it  with  a vengeance  to  all 
who  are  patronizing  Papal  priests  or  Papal  Con- 
vents. 

^^ROME  never  CHANGES.  Her  motto  is 
‘Semper  Idem’ — ‘always  the  same.’  ” — Cardinal 
Gibbons. 

“You  Catholics  ought  to  be  proud  of  your 
women,  because  you  are  the  only  people  in  the 
world  who  have  virtuous  wives;  there  are  none 
virtuous  in  the  Protestant  churches !” — Priest 
Timothy  Corbett,  of  Duluth,  Minn.,  Dec.  10,  1893. 

“Facts  lead  us  to  conclude  that  although  prob- 
ably from  prudential  motives  Romish  bishops  and 
inquisitorial  powers,  yet  they  do  so  secretly,  in 
accordance  with  their  oaths.  If  the  reader  asks 
where,  we  reply  within  the  walls  of  those  prisons 
which  exist  in  many  Roman  Catholic  churches, 
and  within  the  precincts  of  every  monastery  and 
nunnery  in  this  country.” — Charles  Hastings  Col- 
lette. 

In  reference  to  nunneries,  the  Council  of  Trent 
decreed  that : 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


o9 


‘‘No  professed  nun  should  come  out  of  her 
nunnery  under  any  pretense  whatever,  not  even 
for  a moment.  If  any  escape,  being  compelled  to 
return  to  their  convents,  they  must  be  punished 
as  apostates,” 

Ligouri,  in  his  “True  Spouse  of  Christ,”  defines 
the  punishment  of  apostates : 

“To  be  chastised  * * * shut  up  in  a place 
of  confinement,  from  which  it  is  impossible  to 
escape,  in  a word,  it  is  to  be  in  continual  torture 
without  a moment's  peace.  Such  is  the  miserable 
condition  of  a bad  religieuse,  and  therefore  she 
suffers  on  earth  an  anticipation  of  the  torments 
of  hell.” 

In  May,  1881,  the  Paris  correspondent  of  the 
Edinburgh  Daily  Review  stated : 

“Fifteen  corpses,  or  rather  skeletons  of  women, 
dating  no  more  than  ten  years  or  so  back,  were 
found  in  a crypt  under  the  church  of  St.  Laur- 
ent, and  physicians  inferred,  from  the  distorted 
state  of  their  head  and  members,  that  they  suf- 
fered indescribable  anguish  before  dying.  The 
crypt  is  exhibited  to  the  public.” 

The  Pall  Mall  Gazette,  in  the  same  year,  re- 
ferred to  similar  horrors  found  in  the  vaults  of 
the  church  of  Notra  Dame  des  Victoires.  It 
appears  that  the  Communists  unearthed  a whole 
lot  of  mysteries  that  season.” 

“In  another  vault  the  bodies  of  four  women, 
recently  buried  were  discovered,  and  in  a small 
lateral  vault,  a couple  of  gold  bracelets  were 


40 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


picked  up.  Here  citizen  Moussa  thinks  some 
fearful  crime  must  have  been  committed,  for  on 
the  wall  of  the  vault  was  plainly  visible  the  mark 
left  by  the  jeweled  arm,  and  it  is  evident  to  him 
that  the  lady  with  the  bracelets  must  have  strug- 
gled in  the  vault,  which  had  been  newly  painted 
when  she  was  confined  in  it.’’ 

An  English  physician  describes  what  he  saw 
during  the  official  investigation  made  in  the  dun- 
geon vaults  of  the  church  of  Les  Petit  Paris  in 
1871: 

‘'Many  bodies  of  women,  in  their  ordinary 
dress,  and  without  any  coffin,  were  there  found 
buried  in  slanting  position,  so  that  while  the 
feet  were  some  distance  below  the  surface  of 
the  floor,  the  heads  were  covered  with  but  a few 
inches  of  earth.  One  body  was  that  of  a fine, 
handsome  woman,  but  recently  interred,  and  evi- 
dently a terrible  struggle  had  taken  place  before 
she  was  bound  and  buried — buried  gradually — 
and  buried  (there  can  be  little  doubt)  alive; 
otherwise,  why  buried  in  a slanting  position  ? 

A correspondent  writes  the  Minneapolis  Loyal 
American : 

“One  summer  early  in  the  thirties,  the  water 
in  the  St.  Lawrence  at  Montreal  became  extreme- 
ly low,  so*  low  indeed,  that  the  shore  line  had 
receded  a considerable  distance,  leaving  exposed 
a wide  strip  of  river  bottom  which  was  reeking 
with  filth  that  had  been  thrown  there  or  washed 
through  the  city  sewers  into  the  river.  There 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


41 


was  a nunnery  standing  close  to  the  bank  of  the 
river  and  from  it  a large  sewer  extended,  running 
out  into  the  stream.  Ordinarily  the  outlet  of  this 
sewer  would  be  invisible,  because  submerged ; but 
this  particular  summer  it  was  left  high  and  dry, 
and  exposed  to  the  public  view,  as  was  also  a 
piece  of  river  bottom  adjoining  and  adjacent  to 
it.  What  a foul,  pestilential  spot  was  that;  but 
what  a horrible  sight  was  beheld  as  well ; for,  in 
the  sewer  and  in  the  deep  mud  for  many  rods 
around  its  mouth,  were  the  dead  bodies  and  the 
skeletons  of  hundreds  of  infants  that  had  been 
thrown  in  the  vaults  of  the  nunnery  and  washed 
down  through  the  sewer.  There  they  lay  fester- 
ing and  rotting  in  the  sun,  and  poisoning  the  air 
with  deadly  aroma;  a reeking,  filthy,  horrible 
mass.  The  spot  was  visited  by  thousands,  in- 
cluding citizens  of  Montreal,  of  Quebec,  and  of 
smaller  towns  adjacent.  Indeed,  quite  a number 
of  people  came  a long  distance  to  see  and  verify 
what  they  could  not  believe  from  rumor  or 
hearsay.  Every  one  was  indignant,  in  fact  the 
feeling  was  intense.  Against  whom?  Against 
the  female  inmates  of  the  nunnery  and  the  priests 
— the  mothers  and  fathers  of  these  hundreds  of 
poor  infants.  Catholics  and  Protestants  alike 
were  loud  in  the  denunciations  of  these  people 
of  crime  and  sin ; but  what  was  done  ? Nothing, 
absolutely  nothing.  The  city  of  Montreal  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  clergy;  what  could  be  done? 
Who  would  dare  to  prosecute  or  even  to  investi- 
gate? Woe  to  him  that  had  the  temerity  to  do 


43 


PRIEST  AND  Vv^OMAN 


so ; he  had  no  protection  against  his  priestly  ene-- 
mies  and  their  trembling,  cringing  slaves.  He 
would  be  threatened  with  assassination  and  the 
deed  might  soon  follow  the  threat;  or  the  torch 
would  be  applied  to  his  dwelling,  and  poison  to 
be  given  to  his  cow  or  horse.’’ 

Open  the  doors  of  the  closed  retreats  of  the 
crafty,  cruel  Jesuits  who  if  true  to  the  record  of 
their  order,  may  be  as  free  with  their  tortures 
here  in  America  as  they  v/ere  in  Spain  in  the  days 
of  Torquemada. 

San  Francisco  is  a city  wholly  given  over  to 
Romanism..  There  are  nunneries  and  monasteries 
all  over  town.  Last  June  loud  shrieks  of  agony, 
evidently  uttered  by  a young  girl,  emanated  from 
one  of  the  convents.  Passers-by  sought  to  enter 
but  failed.  The  police  were  vainly  appealed  to. 
Residents  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
convent  shook  their  heads,  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  and  gave  the  matter  no  further  attention. 
They  had  heard  such  sounds  before.  Whatever 
befell  that  imprisoned  unfortunate,  neither  munic- 
ipal, state  nor  national  authority  dared  to  inquire, 
although  the  ''flag  of  the  free”  floated  from  the 
frov/ning  forts  overlooking  the  city,  and  Ameri- 
can Vv^'arships  rode  at  anchor  in  the  bay. 

The  convent  and  the  hospitals  of  Romanism 
in  America  must  be  regulated  by  civil  authori- 
ties. Today,  in  our  cities,  if  a stranger  is  seri- 
ously injured  by  accident,  the  chances  are  that 
he  will  be  carried  to  a Romanist  hospital  for  treat- 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


43 


ment.  Suppose  the  hospital  authorities  discover 
that  the  patient  is  an  Orangeman,  what  sort  of 
treatment  can  he  expect  at  the  hands  of  those 
who  regard  him  as  a ‘"heretic’’  and  the  cry  of 
whose  church  is  “death  to  all  heretics  ?” 

Investigate  the  nunneries,  thoroughly.  Either 
open  them  or  abolish  them.  Just  think  of  it! 
Italy,  and  even  Spain,  suppressed  their  convents, 
confiscated  the  property  and  expelled  the  inmates. 
Can  America  do  less  than  to  open  the  doors  of 
Romish  convents  in  America  to  inspection  by  the 
civil  authorities.  As  has  been  truly  said,  “the 
door  of  every  citizen’s  dwelling  is  open  to  the 
law : the  door  of  every  work  shop  is  open,  that 
the  law  may  enter  and  see  it,  that  no  oppression 
or  cruelty  is  done  to  anyone  within.  But  when 
the  law  comes  to  the  door  of  the  convent  it  finds 
it  shut — bolted;  and  let  the  oppression,  cruelty 
and  crime  which  may  be  enacted  within  be  what 
they  may,  law  cannot  enter  either  to  prevent  or 
to  punish  them.”  The  convent  doors  must  be 
opened.  If  there  are  trap-doors  and  underground 
passages  and  dark  cells  connected  with  the  con- 
vents and  other  institutions  of  Rome  in  Denver 
where  quicklime  consumes  the  bodies  of  infants, 
and  refractory  nuns  are  trampled  to  death  by 
priests  and  sycophants,  as  Miss  Monk  swears  was 
done  in  the  convent  at  Montreal,  the  public  must 
know  it,  and  the  law  must  suppress  such  horrors. 

Respectable,  even  eminent  citizens,  Romanist 
and  Protestant,  place  their  daughters,  the  pride 


44 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


of  the  households,  in  convents  for  educational 
purposes.  It  is  probable  that  in  many  such  cases 
the  standing  of  the  parents  secures  the  safety  of 
the  daughter.  But  it  would  be  well  for  these 
well  meaning  parents  to  reflect,  upon  the  fact  that 
the  doors  of  these  convents  are  closed;  that  evil 
has  prevailed  in  many  of  them,  and  that  there  is 
a grave  reason  to  fear  its  prevalence  in  all.  Only 
a few  months  since,  the  daily  papers  announced 
the  tragical  self  inflicted  death  of  a charming 
maiden,  the  daughter  of  an  ex-cabinet  minister, 
who  had  been  consigned  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
the  Superior  of  an  Eastern  convent.  None  knew 
the  cause  of  the  rash  act — none  but  God  and  the 
dead,  and  the  convent  authorities.  And  the  most 
powerful  official  hands  in  America  dare  not  lift 
a hand  towards  an  investigation  of  the  cause ! 

Open  the  doors  of  the  brick-walled,  close-shut- 
tered institutions  where  for  aught  the  world 
knows,  hideous  old  nuns  with  white  vestments 
and  black  souls  act  as  procuresses  for  lecherous 
priests  right  in  Denver  as  freely  as  they  did  in 
the  days  of  Miss  Reed,  Maria  Monk  and  Barbara 
Abryk,  in  the  eastern  states. 

There  have  been  priests  in  Denver  none  too 
good  to  be  suspected. 

There  is  in  Denver  a certain  street  whole  blocks 
of  which  are  given  over  to  the  denomination  of 
the  demimonde.  In  these  blocks  are  centered  the 
worst  of  the  ‘‘painted  sirens’^  of  the  city.  Yet 
in  many  of  these  dens  of  infamy  wax  tapers 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


45 


burn  and  religious  formulae  are  observed,  for 
the  inmates  are  all  members.  God  pity  all  heret- 
ics ! 

Citizens  in  Denver  remember  a very  zealous 
Roman  Catholic  ^'priest  of  God,”  who  was  a fre- 
quenter of  ‘‘the  row”  as  it  existed  in  the  old 
Holiday  street  days.  Perhaps  he  merely  desired 
to  see  that  his  parishioners  in  that  locality  faith- 
fully counted  their  beads  and  wore  their  amulets 
properly. 

A young  girl  was  arrested  by  a policeman  in 
Denver  and  was  sent  to  the  House  of  the  Good 
Shepherd  for  reformation.  Long  afterward,  she 
met  the  policeman  who  had  arrested  her,  and 
showered  bitter  curses  on  his  head,  saying  that 
although  she  had  been  subordinate  before,  yet  her 
ruin  dated  from  intimacy  with  a “priest  of  God” 
whom  she  first  encountered  whilst  an  inmate  of 
the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd. 

A few  years  ago  there  was  a bit  of  scandal  in 
Romish  circles  in  Denver  which  even  made  some 
of  the  fat  priests  blush.  A local  carpenter  who 
had  been  employed  to  make  repairs  in  a certain 
Catholic  church  building,  forgot  a chisel  which 
he  had  been  using  on  the  job.  Returning  for  it 
after  night,  he  discovered  the  parish  priest  and 
one  of  his  frail  parishioners  desecrating  the«altar 
of  the  church!  Knowing  himself  discovered,  the 
priest  drew  a long  knife  and  savagely  assaulted 
the  carpenter,  .who,  using  the  chisel  as  a weapon 
of  defense,  managed  to  escape  through  the  door 


46 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


by  which  he  entered.  Such  was  the  story  made 
public  by  the  carpenter,  and  such  was  the  ‘'nine 
days’  talk  of  the  town.”  The  Romish  authorities 
appear  to  have  credited  the  story,  for  they  trans- 
ferred the  priest  to  a parish  in  another  city. 

Open  the  doors  of  the  convents  and  sectarian 
reformatories  of  Rome  in  Denver,  that  citizens 
may  know  whether  the  close  walled  structures  are 
better  than  those  Eastern  institutions  which  were 
proven  to  be  harems  for  lecherous  priests.  Pro? 
tect  the  innocent  and  the  helpless.  Let  the  knights 
of  the  cowl  enter  into  lawful  wedlock  if  they 
insist  upon  having  “all  the  comforts  of  home.” 

“Rome  never  changes !” 

Thus  saith  the  American  cardinal,  and  both  the 
motto  and  the  history  of  his  church  support 
the  assertion.  Therefore  the  convents  of  today 
may  be  as  truly  the  seat  of  revolting  lewdness, 
cruelty  and  beastly  orgies  as  in  the  days  of  the 
bishop  of  Prato.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe 
that  there  has  been  reformation  in  the  church  of 
Rome  or  its  nunneries  from  the  beginning.  The 
same  fat,  lusty,  lustful,  oyster-eating,  wine- 
guzzling  class  of  priests  walk  the  streets  of  Den- 
ver that  have  infested  the  convents  of  the  Orient 
since  the  days  when  the  heavy  blade  of  the  lion- 
hearted  crusaders  encountered  the  lithe  cimetar 
of  Saladin. 

The  scribbling  priest  of  Romanism  in  Denver 
and  the  mouthing  priest  of  Romanism  in  Duluth 
have  not  hesitated  to  fling  insult  against  Protest- 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


47 


ant  women.  We  have  to  deal  with  the  institu- 
tions of  Catholicy — not  its  homes.  Neither  pen 
nor  tongue  of  Protestant  seek  to  name  with  dis- 
respect the  mothers  and  daughters  of  the  Cath- 
olic homes  of  Denver  or  the  world.  They  have 
need  of  even  greater  strength  of  character  and 
purity  of  soul  than  their  Protestant  sisters,  for 
the  latter  know  nothing  of  the  dangers  which 
menace  innocent  enthusiasts  when  confronted  by 
the  imperious  sultans  of  the  confessional. 

Rome  must  open  the  doors  of  her  prisons  in 
America  to  American  officers  of  the  laws ! What 
baseness  there  is  in  the  practice  of  American 
judges  sentencing  young  girls  to  a prison  where 
neither  the  judges  who  inflict  the  sentence  nor 
the  commissioners  who  pay  the  bills  dare  investi- 
gate! Already  the  state  board  of  pardons  is 
considering  a proposition  to  remove  Protestant 
girls  from  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd  and 
commit  them  to  the  Crittenden  Home.  This  is 
good,  even  glorious  but  it  is  not  enough.  Catholic 
girls  are  entitled  to  the  protection  of  the  civil 
law  in  free  America.  The  House  of  the  Good 
Shepherd  must  be  made  open  to  thorough  inspec- 
tion at  the  will  of  the  civil  authorities. 

The  opening  of  the  convent  doors  will  be  the 
work  of  Protestants,  but  the  abolition  of  the 
secret  confessional-box  must  be  the  work  of  in- 
telligent American  Catholics.  We  have  in  our 
possession  a copy  of  a little  book  well  knov/n  to 
all  Catholics— 'How  to  Make'  the  Mission.’’  If 


48 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


we  misquote  from  it,  Catholics  will  be  able  to 
correct  the  statement.  The  volume  teaches  the 
penitent  how  to  make  confession.  On  page  110 
it  says: 

''Go  to  your  confessor  with  great  humility  and 
modesty,  and  remember  that  you  are  about  to 
present  yourself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self. When  at  the  feet  of  your  confessor,  kneel 
down  with  the  greatest  reverence  and  humility, 
and  consider  that  you  are  at  the  feet  of  Jesus 
crucified.  Do  not  keep  your  head  far  from  the 
priest  when  confessing.^’ 

The  last  sentence  in  the  foregoing  quotation  is 
found  in  a foot  note  on  page  111  of  this  volume. 
Among  the  topics  of  confession  suggested  to  the 
penitent  by  the  following  appeared  on  page  96 : 

"I  took  pleasure  in  impure  thoughts — times  a 
day. 

"I  had  impure  desires — times  a day. 

"I  was  guilty  of  immodest  looks — times  a day. 

"I  was  guilty  of  immodest  acts — times.” 

Was  there  ever  a more  cunning  trap  for  human 
frailty?  Would  not  the  average  respectable 
woman  require  to  be  convinced  that  she  was  in 
the  presence  of  her  God  alone  before  responding 
to  such  suggestions  as  the  foregoing?  Aye! 
Catholic  citizens  of  Denver  — honest  heads  of 
families — do  you  believe  in  the  confessional-box 
for  yourself  and  yours?  Is  the  fat  friar  of  St. 
Joseph’s  your  ideal  of  Jesus  Christ  in  person, 
that  honest  women  should  be  closeted  with  him 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


49 


111  the  confessional-box  and  induced  to  respond 
to  the  impure  suggestions  above  recorded?  It  is 
for  Catholics  themselves  to  destroy  the  secret 
confessional. 


A Kentucky  Hell 


The  contents  of  this  chapter  was  published  in 
The  American  Citizen,  Boston,  Mass.,  of  January 
17,  1903.  It  proves  that  crimes  as  vile  as  those 
committed  under  the  dripping  folds  of  the 
Spanish  hag  three  Iiundred  years  ago,  are  now 
being  committed  behind  the  stone  walls  of  these 
ecclesiastical  hells  erected  by  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  in  every  Annerican  city.  The  two  Ken- 
tucky ladies  wiio  signed  this  narrative  are  now 
living  in  Louisville,  and  are  in  possession  of  the 
proofs  as  to  its  truthfulness. 

ADDRESS  OF  THE  WOMAN’S  LIBERTY 
LEAGUE  TO  THE  WOMEN  OF 
THE  COUNTRY, 

Recent  developments  in  the  history  of  an  abuse 
of  long  standing  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  and  one 
no  doubt  Vvddcl}/  prevalent  elsewhere,  has,  we 
feel,  imposed  upon  us  the  imperative  duty  of 
issuing  this  a.ppeal  to  all  friends  of  justice  and 
humanity. 


50 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


The  particular  developments  referred  to,  and 
the  immediate  occasion  of  this  appeal,  are  con- 
nected with  the  unlawful  imiprisonnient,  at  hard 
labor,  for  a long  period,  of  two  Kentucky  women 
in  the  Convent  of  the  Good  Shepherd  commonly 
known  as  St.  Xavier’s,  in  this  city;  their  escape 
therefrom  by  scaling  the  walls ; the  well-substan- 
tiated stories  of  the  horrid  cruelties  they  bring 
from  this  ecclesiastical  prison ; their  efforts  to 
get  redress  by  suit  in  the  civil  courts;  and  the 
impending  danger  of  being  defeated  of  all  redress 
by  the  rulings  of  the  particular  court  in  which 
their  suit  has  been  brought. 

The  institution  in  question  is  located  on  Bank 
Street  in  Louisville,  and  is  one  of  a pair  of  con- 
vent factories  in  the  city,  the  other  being  situated 
on  Eighth  Street.  They  are  doubtless  fair 
samples  of  such  institutions  wherever  found. 
The  Bank  Street  Convent  covers  about  thirteen 
and  one-half  acres,  and  as  customary,  is  sur- 
rounded by  high  brick  walls.  It  escapes  state, 
county,  and  city  taxes,  under  pretense  of  being 
a charitable  institution,  although  it  is  exclusively 
engaged  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  cloth- 
ing, running  an  extensive  laundry,  and  miaintain- 
ing  a dairy  from  which  milk  is  sold  to  the  public 
in  the  summer.  In  addition  to  its  incom.es  from 
these  sources,  it  also  maintains  begging  parties, 
who  go  out  over  the  city  in  wagons  collecting  in 
whatever  things  may  be  of  use  to  them. 

Confined  within  the  walls  are  about  one  hun- 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


51 


dred  women  and  girls,  ranging  from  childhood  to 
extreme  old  age,  all  kept  in  the  closest  seclusion. 
The  treatment  the  victims  receive,  and  some  of 
the  methods  by  which  they  are  lured  into  this 
prison,  will  appear  from  the  history  and  the  evi- 
dence here  offered,  and  which  discloses  a state 
of  facts  that  it  is  well  nigh  impossible  to  believe 
exists  in  twentieth  century  and  in  this  boasted 
land  of  liberty. 

The  women  whose  special  grievance  has  been 
referred  to  above  are  Mrs.  Hattie  Moore  and  her 
sister.  Rose  Wilhite,  who  were,  in  1887,  brought 
from  the  county  farm  of  Hardin  County,  Ken-i 
tucky,  by  its  county  superintendent,  and  turned 
over  to  the  Mother  Superior  of  the  Convent. 

Their  father,  William  Wilhite,  lived  in  a some-* 
what  ill-favored  and  sterile  corner  of  Hardin 
County,  and  their  mother,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children — four  sons  and  five  daughters — was  his 
fourth  wife.  Growing  old  and  becoming  broken 
in  health  as  well  as  irritable,  it  appears  that  he 
became  unable  to  provide  properly  for  his  large 
family.  The  mother,  though  herself  not  in  the 
best  of  health,  separated  from  him  and  took  the 
girls  with  her.  But  the  neighborhood  afforded 
neither  charity  nor  employment  sufficient  to  sup- 
port a family  of  such  numbers ; so  having  found 
a home  for  Hattie,  the  oldest,  she  sought  and 
obtained  the  privilege  of  going  with  the  others 
to  the  county  farm.  Here  she  stayed  for  about 
two  years,  doing  willingly  whatever  offered. 


53 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


until  the  summer  of  1887,  when  she  died  from 
an  affection  of  the  heart. 

In  the  meantiine,  Hattie,  who  had  been  taken 
by  a kind  neighbor  and  placed  with  a worthy 
family  in  Bullitt  County,  met  and  married  a man 
named  Moore,  who  had  several  chidren  by  a 
former  wife,  among  them  a daughter  of  eighteen 
while  Hattie  lacked  two  months  of  being  fifteen. 
As  might  have  been  anticipated,  the  situation 
soon  became  overstrained,  and  six  weeks  later  a 
separation  took  place,  Hattie  going  first  to  see 
her  father,  and  then  visiting  her  sister  at  the 
county  farm,  her  mother  had  just  died. 

A.fter  she  had  been  there  some  weeks,  the 
superintendent,  believing  the  place  not  a proper 
one  for  raising  a family  of  motherless  children, » 
decided  to  place  them  in  certain  Roman  Catholic 
institutions  that  had  been  favorably  reported 
and  Hattie,  though  under  protest,  was  taken 
along.  The  others  having  been  variously  placed, 
Hattie,  then  aged  sixteen,  and  Rose,  aged  twelve, 
were  put  in  the  Bank  Street  Convent  already 
mentioned. 

From  this  time  on  till  the  fortunate  escape, 
the  stories  of  Mrs.  Moore  and  her  sister.  Rose, 
here  given,  will  reveal  their  history  while  in  the 
Convent,  and  throw  some  light  upon  the  scenes 
enacted  behind  prison  walls  as  well. 

Statement  of  Miss  Rose  Wilhite. 

When  I was  eight  years  old,  my  mother  and 
father  separated,  my  mother  taking  with  her  my 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


53 


sisters  and  myself,  in  all,  five  girls.  Finding  she 
could  not  support  us,  and  wishing  to  keep  us 
together,  she  went  to  the  county  farm,  taking  us 
all  with  her  except  Hattie,  who  was  taken  to 
Bullitt  County. 

We  stayed  at  the  county  farm  for  about  two 
years,  when  mother  died.  The  superintendent, 
Mr.  Duncan,  then  took  us,  all  except  Sadie,  to 
Louisville,  and  put  Hattie  and  myself  in  the 
Convent  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  He  told  us  that 
we  would  get  to  go  to  school,  that  the  Sisters 
would  be  kind  to  us,  and  that  he  and  his  wife 
would  come  to  see  us,  and  so  would  our  father. 
He  also  told  us  that  we  would  not  be  there  miore 
than  a year. 

About  a year  after  we  were  put  in,  father  did 
com.e  to  the  convent,  and  the  girls  told  us  he  in- 
quired for  us,  but  Mother  Anselm,  the  Mother 
Provincial,  told  him  we  were  not  there,  but  had 
gone  avray.  When  Hattie  and  I heard  this,  we 
hurried  around  to  the  window,  looked  through 
and  saw  him,  but  dared  not  call  to  him.  An- 
other time  after  that  he  came,  but  they  vrould 
not  let  him  see,  nor  let  us  speak  to  him,  though 
we  could  see  him  from  the  window.  They 
pushed  us  av/ay  from  the  window  and  threatened 
us,  and  told  us  not  to  dare  to  go  back  again. 

Six  weeks  after  I vras  put  in,  I was  set  to 
shoveling  coal  into  the  furnace  of.  the  engine 
that  runs  the  laundry.  I had  to  do  this  all  the 
time  I v/as  there,  except  for  two  years  while  I 


54 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


was  at  work  in  the  stable.  While  I was  at 
work  at  the  engine,  after  I had  got  steam  up, 
they  would  compel  me  to  carry  big  boxes  and 
buckets  of  coal  up  three  flights  of  stairs,  for  use 
in  the  ironing  or  stove-room,  and  part  of  the  way 
was  through  steam  that  was  almost  choking. 

My  sister  and  I often  asked  to  be  let  out,  and 
many  times  got  down  on  our  knees  and  prayed 
to  them  to  let  us  go,  but  with  one  excuse  and 
another,  and  often  with  abuse,  they  always  re- 
fused us.  Three  years  after  I was  put  in,  I 
escaped  by  climbing  the  walls  and  jumping  down. 
I went  to  work  for  a woman  near  Twelfth  and 
Market  Streets,  but  after  I was  there  a short 
time  a detective  arrested  me  and  carried  me  back. 

About  a year  later  I escaped  again  in  the  same 
way.  This  time  I ran  till  I reached  the  river, 
and  there  found  a hiding  place  with  a man  named 
John  Rolander,  who,  with  his  wife,  lived  in  a 
house-boat.  I stayed  there  two  weeks  and  was 
very  kindly  treated;  but  one  day  Mrs.  Rolander 
went  to  the  grocery  and  was  told  that  the  police 
were  looking  for  me  and  that  they  were  going 
to  search  the  boat.  Then  Mr.  Rolander  made  a 
man  take  me  in  a skiff  and  carry  me  away,  giving 
out  that  he  had  sent  me  to  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  When  they  put  me  ashore  again,  I set  out 
hurrying  through  the  streets,  inquiring  the  way 
to  Elizabethtown,  intending  to  go  back  home. 
Somewhere  I passed  close  to  a railroad  and  heard 
an  engine  whistle,  and  when  I heard  it,  my  heart 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


55 


jumped  I was  so  glad.  I felt  like  I had  come 
out  of  a dream,  and  was  at  the  old  home  I first 
had  in  the  country,  and  that  was  the  train  that 
used  to  pass  so  close  to  it  when  I was  a child. 
But  just  then  I walked  into  the  arms  of  two 
policemen  who  arrested  me  and  put  me  in  jail. 

Next  morning  I was  taken  back  to  the  convent. 
When  I got  there.  Mother  Paul  took  me  into 
the  engine  room  and  cut  my  hair  off  in  notches 
— they  call  stair  steps — and  cut  it  so  close  and 
was  so  rough  about  it  that  she  cut  the  scalp  in 
many  places  till  it  bled,  and  the  hair  was  bloody 
when  she  got  done,  but  I dare  not  whimper. 
Then  she  took  the  scissors  and  notched  both  of 
my  ears  so  that  the  blood  ran  down  from  both  of 
them  over  my  body.  When  she  did  this  slie 
said:  ‘‘Now  you  are  marked,  and  when  you  get 
out  again,  the  police  will  know  you  and  fetch 
you  back.’’ 

I watched  all  the  time  quietly  for  a good 
chance  to  escape  but  could  not  get  any  more  till 
April,  when  I got  out  again  and  fell  into  the 
hands  of  some  kind  people  who  took  me  to  the 
country,  where  I have  stayed  in  hiding  till  a 
short  time  past,  for  fear  they  would  kidnap  me 
and  carry  me  back  again  to  the  convent.  I have 
been  informed  that  my  photograph  was  given 
to  the  police  by  the  people  of  the  convent,  and 
they  were  told  to  try  to  bring  me  back,  and  that 
they  have  been  looking  for  mie.  When  I got 
out,  I v/as  about  twenty-six  years  old  and  had 


56 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


been  thirteen  years  in  this  prison. 

While  in  the  convent  I never  received  an  hour 
of  teaching  from  the  nuns,  nor  did  any  one  else, 
so  far  as  I knew;  I had  all  the  time  only  hard 
labor  that  men  do  outside.  I can  make  out  to 
write  my  name  and  I know  my  letters,  but  this 
I learned  from  another  girl  at  nights  and  on  Sun- 
days. I had  plain  work  to  do,  and  was  much  of 
the  time  to  myself,  so  I was  not  whipped  and 
beaten  as  were  the  others. 

I have  often  seen  the  nuns  take  girls,  and  even 
children  six  or  seven  years  old,  and  after  strip- 
ping them  of  all  their  clothes  but  one  under  gar- 
ment, make  them  stand  up  before  all  the  class, 
and  then  whip  them  with  heavy  leather  straps 
until  they  themselves  would  pant  for  breath. 
Old  women,  so  old  that  all  the  teeth  were  out, 
and  some  of  them  half-v/itted,  were  often  cruelly 
beaten  and  hit  in  the  mouth.  They  would  often 
gag  the  girls  and  tie  their  hands  and  feet  to- 
gether. 

Mrs.  Hattie  Moore's  Statement. 

I was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  on 
February  the  8th,  1871.  My  father’s  name  was 
William,  and  my  mother’s,  Sarah  Wilhite.  My 
mother  was  the  fourth  v/ife,  and  she  had  nine 
children,  five  of  them  being  girls.  My  father’s 
health  was  getting  bad,  and  he  was  getting  old 
and  unable  to  provide  for  his  family,  and  besides, 
he  was  not  so  kind  as  he  might  have  been,  so  he 


'V  u 


'\e-f  ^ i 

'f  ■ Vi' 

PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


57 


and  mother  separated,  mother  taking  the  five 
girls. 

When  mother  found  that  she  would  have  to 
go  to  the  county  farm  for  support,  she  let  me  go 
with  Mrs.  Richard  Clarkson  to  find  a home  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Pate  Simmons,  in  Bullitt 
County.  I remained  there  until  December  4, 
1886,  when  I was  married  to  a widower  named 
Hardin  Moore,  who  had  a family  of  children,  one 
of  them  a daughter,  eighteen,  and  a son  sixteen 
years  old.  I lacked  two  weeks  of  being  fifteen 
when  I married. 

The  children  resented  the  marriage,  and  the 
situation  became  so  trying  that  at  the  end  of  six 
weeks  I went  to  my  father.  About  that  time  m.y 
mother  died  at  the  county  farm  and  I went  there 
and  cleaned  up  and  arranged  the  things  that  had 
belonged  to  her.  While  I was  there  the  super- 
intendent decided  on  taking  my  sisters  to  Louis- 
ville, except  Susie,  the  third  oldest,  who  had 
already  been  given  to  a woman  in  Elizabethtown, 
and  insisted  that  I should  go  along  with  them, 
telling  me  when  I declined  that  I had  as  well  go 
as  be  made  to  go.  He  said  the  place  he  was 
going  to  take  us  was  one  kept  by  the  nuns,  where 
they  taught  school  and  the  children  would  be 
educated  and  well  trained,  and  they  would  be 
good  to  us.  He  promised,  too,  that  he^  and  his 
wife  would  come  to  see  us  in  a short  time,  and 
that  our  father  would  visit  us.  We  were  only 
to  stay  one  year.  Josephine  was  given  to  St. 

I A ‘ 


58 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


Vincent’s,  so  we  were  told,  but  we  never  saw 
nor  heard  of  her  again.  Maggie  was  not  long 
with  us,  but  found  a home  with  a lady  outside; 
Rose  and  I were  put  into  St.  Xavier’s,  where  she 
was  in  a short  time  set  to  shoveling  coal,  and  I 
to  pressing  pants. 

Off  and  on  I was  given  a job  of  scrubbing, 
painting  or  kalsomining. 

I was  first  mistreated  when  I had  been  there 
about  three  weeks.  I had  forgotten  and  left  a 
pan  of  water  under  the  edge  of  the  bed  in  the 
dormitory,  and  I knew  if  it  was  knocked  over 
and  spilled  while  they  were  sweeping,  I would 
be  punished  for  it;  so  after  getting  down  to  the 
sewing  room  ran  back  to  the  dormitory  to  empty 
it.  Mother  Paul  missed  me  and  following  me  up^ 
to  the  dormitory,  began  beating  me  with  a leather 
strap  and  continued  beating  me  all  the  way  down 
to  the  sewing  room.  Then  she  stripped  me  of 
all  my  clothes  except  my  chemise  and  made  me 
kneel  down  before  all  the  class,  and  whipped 
me  with  the  leather  till  I was  black  and  blue  all 
over  my  arms  and  back. 

For  telling  her  once  after  she  had  mistreated 
me,  and  that,  too,  after  I was  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  that  I would  get  even  with  her  when  I 
got  out,  she  jerked  me  by  the  hair  and  beat  mQ 
on  the  mouth  and  cut  my  lips  on  my  teeth  so 
that  the  blood  ran  down  over  me,  and  I had  to 
pick  pieces  of  my  lips  out  of  my  teeth. 

Another  time,  after  we  had  gone  into  the 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


59 


dormitory  and  had  stripped  to  go  to  bed,  a half- 
idiotic  girl  began  talking  aloud,  which  was 
against  the  rules.  Knowing  she  would  be  cruelly 
punished  for  it  if  it  came  to  the  Mother's  ears 
and  wishing  to  save  her  a beating,  I told  her  to 
keep  her  silence.  Instead  of  doing  this,  the  girl 
screamed.  Then  the  Mother  rushed  in  with  her 
leather  and  began  beating  me  fiercely  with  it 
over  the  arms  and  chest,  stripped  as  I was.  The 
leather  cut  a piece  out  of  my  arm  and  gave  me 
intense  pain. 

Once  while  finishing  the  painting  of  the  chapel, 
I did  not  get  the  altar  set  back  exactly  as  she 
wanted  it,  and  she  snatched  up  a broom  and 
began  beating  me  with  it  and  beat  me  all  the  way 
out  of  the  door. 

About  three  years  before  I got  out,  along  with 
another  girl,  named  Justina,  I was  set  to  scrub- 
bing the  floor.  Justina  took  away  the  things  that 
I had  to  scrub  with.  Then  the  Mother  came  in 
and  told  me  to  get  down  and  go  to  scrubbing. 
I told  her  that  Justina  had  taken  away  my  sand 
and  brush,  and  asked  her  if  she  expected  me  to 
scrub  with  my  dress  skirt.  She  again  ordered 
me  to  ‘‘get  down  and  scrub,"  and  I stepped  over 
to  Justina  and  told  her  to  give  back  the  things 
she  had  taken  away.  Then  the  girl  struck  me  in 
the  face.  I said  I would  not  take  that  from 
both  of  them  and  picked  up  the  keg  used  to  hold 
sand  and  struck  Justina  over  the  head  with  it. 
Mother  Paul  then  got  a broomstock  and  set  all 


CO  PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 

the  girls  on  me  and  they  nearly  tore  me  to  pieces. 

About  ten  years  ago,  a girl  named  Camilla, 
about  twenty-three  years  old,  was  finishing  some 
pants  that  were  about  ready  to  be  sent  out.  She 
was  nearly  gone  with  consumption,  and  while 
leaning  over  the  table  the  clothes  were  on,  a 
coughing  spell  came  on,  when  a gush  of  blood 
poured  over  her  clothes  and  also  bespattered  the 
pants.  Mother  Pancratius  (Mary  Kuhn)  then 
jumped  from  her  stall  and  began  beating  Camilla 
in  the  back  with  her  fists.  She  then  took  a pious 
book  she  had  been  reading  and  continued  beating 
the  girl  over  the  back  and  head  with  it,  screaming 
out,  ^'You  could  have  kept  from  this  if  you  had 
v/anted  to.'’  All  the  time  the  Mother  was  beat- 
ing her,  Camilla  kept  coughing,  with  the  blood 
flying  from  her  mouth.  This  was  on  Thursday. 
On  the  Saturday  following  she  was  carried  out 
of  the  house  and  buried.  It  was  the  most  hor- 
rible sight  I ever  saw. 

When  I had  been  there  something  like  two 
years,  and  was  about  eighteen  years  old,  I,  one 
day,  asked  Mother  Pancratius,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  sewing  room,  if  I might  go  and 
get  a drink  of  water.  I already  had  the  door 
open  ready  to  go.  She  said,  ‘‘No;  come  back 
and  sit  down."  I answered  that  I was  just  going 
for  a drink  of  water  and  would  be  back  in  a 
moment,  when  I got  the  drink. 

When  I got  back,  the  Mother  sent  for  a peni- 
tent, named  Eustacia,  who  was  a very  cruel  tool 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN  61 

of  hers  and  a favorite  with  the  nuns,  and  she 
brought  four  strong  girls  with  her.  They  caught 
me  and  dragged  me  to  the  engine  room  where 
they  tried  to  strip  my  clothes  off  me  in  order 
to  turn  the  hose  on  me.  I resisted  and  would 
not  let  them  strip  me,  but  they  got  more  girls, 
piled  on  my  back  and  bore  me  down,  and  then 
tore  off  every  shred  of  my  clothes  until  I was 
completely  naked.  They  then  tied  my  hands  and 
feet,  and  threw  water  on  me  from  two  hose 
nozzles,  beating  me  the  while  with  sticks  of  wood 
kept  in  the  room  for  starting  fires  in  the  engine, 
till  I was  unconscious.  The  girls  told  me  after- 
ward that  I was  so  near  drowned  they  rolled  me 
over  to  get  the  water  out  of  my  lungs.  For 
many  days  I was  so  sore  I could  hardly  walk. 
They  were  afraid  I was  going  to  die  and  they 
had  two  girls  to  hold  me  up  and  lead  me  into 
the  chapel  to  be  christened.  After  that  I had  a 
long  and  tedious  spell  of  sickness,  which  I never 
doubted  was  due  to  the  bruising  they  caused  me 
and  strangling  with  water. 

This  Eustacia  continued  to  be  of  great  con- 
sequence among  the  nuns.  It  was  common  for 
her  to  come  into  the  dormitory  at  midnight  from 
milking,  as  she  said,  though  milking  was  always 
required  to  be  done  by  five  o’clock.  After  a 
while  the  girls  all  got  to  noticing  and  talking 
a^bout  her  suspicious  appearance  and  they  sent 
her  away. 

Often  the  Mother  would  grab  the  girls  by  the 


62 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


ears  and  jerk  them  violently.  My  own  have 
been  jerked  many  a time.  One  day  Mother 
Pancratius  grabbed  me  by  the  ears  and  clawed 
them,  tearing  strips  of  skin  off  which  caused  the 
blood  to  run  down,  making  scars  that  are  there 
now. 

There  was  a girl  in  the  convent,  about  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  who  had  been  there  for  twenty- 
two  years.  She  was  always  watching  for  an 
opportunity  to  get  out.  One  time  she  told  us 
that  Mother  Pancratius  found  her  sitting  in  the 
yard  and  broke  a broomstock  over  her  head  for 
it.  Another  time  Mother  Pancratius  beat  her 
in  the  face  till  the  blood  ran  out  of  her  mouth 
and  nose,  and  they  put  a brass  key  down  her 
back  to  stop  the  bleeding. 

I saw  my  sister  Rose’s  ears  soon  after  they 
had  been  cut  with  scissors.  Her  head  was  so 
sore  and  raw  from  the  cutting  that  she  had  to 
wear  a cap  over  it,  and  the  girls  were  permitted 
to  make  fun  of  her  for  it. 

I often  begged,  and  even  prayed  on  my  knees 
to  the  Mother  to  let  me  out,  but  was  invariably 
answered  with  insult.  I often  asked  about  my 
sisters  and  brothers,  but  they  refused  to  tell  me 
anything. 

When  our  father  came  to  see  us  they  would 
not  let  him  come  in  nor  speak  to  us.  I saw 
him  twice  from  the  window,  but  was  not  allowed 
to  call  to  him  or  go  where  he  could  see  me. 

We  received  no  instruction  of  any  kind  in  the 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


e*j 

way  of  education,  nor  did  any  of  the  oilier  girls. 
Before  I went  in  I could  write  my  name,  but  I 
have  forgotten  how,  as  I never  had  a chance  to 
write  while  in  the  prison. 

Many  coarse  and  reckless  girls  were  brought 
in  from  the  outside  from  time  to  time,  who  used 
the  worst  kind  of  language  and  oaths,  but  they 
kept  us  all  together. 

At  last,  in  September,  1901,  I scaled  the  walls 
and  made  the  escape  I had  longed  for,  and  prayed 
for  through  so  many  torturing  years.  After  my 
escape  I met  with  friends  who  put  me  in  hiding 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  county,  near  Pleasure 
Ridge,  for  fear  they  would  kidnap  me  and  carry 
me  back  or  spirit  me  away  somewhere.  A few 
weeks  ago  I was  brought  into  the  city  to  be 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Woman’s  Liberty  League. 
I was  thirty  years  old  when  I got  out  of  prison, 
and  had  been  there  fourteen  years.  My  mother 
was  a Methodist  and  trained  her  children  in  that 
belief  as  long  as  she  was  with  them. 


In  substantiation  of  the  statements  of  these 
women  as  to  the  treatment  they  have  been  sub- 
jected to,  and  which  they  are  ready  and  anxious 
to  prove  in  the  courts,  is  the  fact  that  both 
Rose’s  ears  show  distinct  scars,  such  as  would 
be  produced  by  such  cutting  as  she  describes, 
while  there  are  scars  on  Mrs.  Moore’s  ears,  such 
as  would  result  from  violent  clawing  with  sharp 
finger-nails,  and  there  are  other  marks  on  her 


64 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


body  that  bear  out  her  contention  of  cruel  beat- 
ings. 

Appeal  to  American  Womanhood, 

Women  and  sisters  of  Kentucky  and  America, 
you  have  before  you  the  pitiful  picture  of  what 
these  women,  born  in  the  country  where  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  the  great  apostle  and  martyr  of 
freedom  first  saw  the  light,  have  been  subjected 
to,  and  what,  doubtless,  untold  numbers  of  others 
are  being  subjected  to  in  our  free  country,  in 
this  and  other  such  prisons  throughout  the  land. 

From  a legal  viewpoint,  in  so  far  as  can  be 
ascertained,  Mrs.  Moore  and  Rose  Wilhite  were 
imprisoned  without  a shadow  of  right  or  author- 
ity on  the  part  of  anyone  connected  with  their 
confinement.  They  were  both  lured  into  prison 
by  false  pretenses  and  without  process  of  law, 
and  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Moore,  at  least,  these 
were  supplemented  by  threats;  and  the  girls 
‘seem  to  have  been  as  effectually  and  truly  kid- 
napped as  any  of  the  children  in  recent  years 
whose  disappearance  has  aroused  this  country. 
No  man  or  woman  on  earth  has  any  legal  right 
to  abridge  the  freedom  of  action  of  Mrs.  Moore, 
or  to  restrain  her  in  the  legal  exercise  of  her 
liberty. 

As  far  as  the  superintendent  of  the  county 
farm  of  Hardin  County  was  concerned,  and  as 
far  as  the  prison  authorities  of  St.  Xavier  were 
concerned,  she  was  free,  legally,  when  she  was 
kidnapped,  as  the  wife  even  of  President  Roose- 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


65 


velt  IS  today.  For  five  years  of  her  enforced 
stay  Rose  Wilhite  was  over  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  There  was  no  legal  prison  or  other  sentence 
standing  against  her  and  she  was  all  the  time 
demanding  her  liberty.  For  five  years,  at  least, 
of  this  imprisonment,  at  harder  labor  than  any 
condemned  criminal  in  the  penitentiary,  she  was 
absolutely  free  under  the  laws  of  every  State  in 
the  Union.  Even  then  she  had  to  escape  by 
scaling  high  prison  walls  at  imminent  risk  of 
serious  injury,  with  the  certain  prospect  of  fur- 
ther maiming  if  she  failed,  and  still  to  be  pur- 
sued by  willing  police  equipped  with  photographs, 
as  if  her  marked  ears,  and  back  permanently 
bent  under  thirteen  years  of  cruel  drudgery,  were 
not  enough  to  identify  her. 

Any  one  of  you,  or  any  one  of  us  who  address 
you,  may,  with  the  same  right  or  authority,  be 
seized  at  any  time  that  we  step  outside  the  door 
of  our  happy  homes,  carried  to  these  gloomy 
prisons  and  set  to  hard  labor  for  life,  with  the 
lacerating  lash  laid  on  our  bare  arms  and  backs 
and  breasts,  and  then  with  our  hair  notched  in 
"‘stair  steps’’  with  brutal  and  bloody  roughness, 
and  our  ears  notched  if  v/e  dare  try  to  escape. 

And  then  to  add  these  atrocious  and  enormous 
insults  to  right  and  justice,  and  this  outrage  on 
humanity,  these  people  come  into  court  and  deny 
that  there  is  any  one  among  them  who  is  in 
authority,  or  who  can  be  called  to  legal  account- 
ability for  such  conduct.  It  appears  from  the 


66 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


response  to  the  suit  of  Mrs.  Hattie  Moore  and 
Rose  Wilhite,  that  any  old  body  can  carry  off 
one  of  our  daughters  or  sisters,  or  even  one  of 
ourselves,  and  imprison  us  at  hard  labor  for  life, 
may  lacerate  and  disfigure  us,  may  shut  the 
gates  upon  us  against  light  and  life  and  kindred 
forever;  and  yet,  when  an  accounting  is  called 
for,  no  one  is  responsible.  These  people  have 
said  so,  and  at  least  one  judge  has  said  so. 

At  one  time  in  France  it  was  the  privilege  of 
the  King,  and  often  exercised,  to  snatch  up  any 
citizen  and  secretly  imprison  him  for  life  with- 
out cause.  The  practice  was  regarded  as  so 
wicked  and  so  odious,  that  when  in  the  muta- 
tions of  fortune  it  came  the  turn  of  its  wicked 
authors  to  shed  their  blood  for  it,  that  blood  sent 
up  an  odor  that  to  this  good  hour  has  not  been 
ungrateful  to  the  nostrils  of  humanity. 

But  the  friends  of  the  French  victims  of  such 
cruel  tyranny  knew  the  responsible  tyrant  to 
whom  they  might  appeal,  even  if  in  vain.  But 
these,  our  daughters  and  sisters,  may  not  know 
who  is  in  authority  over  them  in  their  secret 
prison;  who  has  the  power  to  pardon,  nor  to 
whom  to  kneel,  and  even  if  vainly,  to  pray  for 
the  opening  of  their  prison  doors.  Nor  do  we 
ourselves  yet  know  to  whom  or  what  tribunal  we 
may  lead  them  for  redress. 

And  all  this  in  the  teeth  of  the  fact  that  the 
Statutes  of  Kentucky  make  imprisonment  with- 
out due  process  of  law  a felony.  Here  is  Section 
1221  of  the  Revised  Statutes: 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


67 


Section  1221,  Kentucky  Statutes. 

'^Arresting,  imprisoning  or  transporting  an- 
other— aiding  or  abetting.  If  any  person  or  per- 
sons shall  arrest  or  imprison  another,  or  shall 
transport  him,  against  his  will,  beyond  the  bonds 
of  this  commonwealth,  otherwise  than  accord- 
ing to  law,  or  cause,  or  in  any  manner  counsel, 
aid  or  abet  in  such  arrest,  imprisonment  or  trans- 
portation, the  person  or  persons  so  offending 
shall,  on  conviction  thereof,  be  deemed  guilty 
of  felony,  and  shall  be  confined  in  the  peniten- 
tiary not  less  than  one  or  more  than  twenty 
3^ears.'' 

When  bandits  across  the  sea  have  made  a 
promising  capture,  they  are  accustomed  to  fix  a 
price  on  the  liberty  of  the  victim,  to  notify  the 
friends  and  invite  a ransom;  but  our  domestic 
bandits,  when  they  capture  our  sisters  and  daugh- 
ters, hide  them  in  secret  prisons  behind  iron 
doors,  and  with  cruel  torture  proceed  to  coin 
their  life  blood  into  money.  Nor  is  it  likely  that 
this  money  is  thrown  away.  Somebody  gets  it. 
Somewhere  in  the  prison  shadow  doubtless  there 
hovers  a hooded  captain  of  the  bandit  troop  who 
gathers  this  blood  money  into  his  capacious  bag. 

These  prisons  do  not  reform.  Some  may  say 
— some  designing  people  who  want  to  make  an 
excuse  for  their  cringing,  or  some  simple-hearted 
souls  easily  deceived  may  contend — that  there 
is  among  those  who  these  prison  factories  re- 
strain, a certain  proportion  of  dissolute  girls  who 
are  thus  led  to  a higher  life. 


68 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


The  truth  is  they  reform  none.  The  most 
refined  girl  ever  thrust  behind  these  walls  must 
associate  with  the  most  dissolute  and  most  de- 
praved, and  hear  all  their  vile  language.  They 
experience  only  that  which  will  lower  their  self- 
respect,  and  in  addition,  engender  hatred  of  those 
to  whom  they  might  be  supposed  to  look  for 
right  example,  counsel  and  advice. 

The  whole  trend  of  the  treatment  and  training 
these  girls  receive  is  a progressive  disqualification 
for  the  duties  that  in  after  life  devolve  on 
womanhood.  Whatever  is  learned  must  be 
learned  early  in  life,  while  the  brain  is  plastic 
and  the  mind  impressionable.  The  monotonous 
drudgery  these  prisoners  are  subjected  to  along 
with  the  suppression  and  the  humiliating  indigni- 
ties, produce  such  a cramped  and  dwarfed  condi- 
tion of  the  faculties  of  the  body  and  mind,  that 
if  those  who  have  been  confined  for  long  do  have 
the  fortune  to  escape  their  prison,  their  lot  is 
a most  pitiable  one.  They  must  needs  carry 
their  prison  walls  with  them.  Wholly  without 
means,  forgotten  by  friends,  utterly  without 
education,  and  without  such  training  as  qualifies 
them  for  the  least  exacting  domestic  service, 
their  case  is,  indeed,  one  of  hopeless  helplessness. 

Again,  have  you  ever  reflected  that  one  slave 
all  the  time  producing  and  never  consuming  can 
drive  to  hardship  large  numbers  who  have  to 
compete  with  that  one  in  the  same  line  of  employ- 
ment? What  else  than  the  starvation  wages 
these  more  than  sweatshop  methods  impose  or 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


69 


necessitate,  can  account  for  the  fearful  recent 
inroads  on  womanly  virtue  that  we  all  so  much 
deplore,  and  view  with  so  much  alarm? 

To  Organized  Labor. 

To  organized  labor,  also,  we  would  appeal. 
In  vain  your  unions,  in  vain  your  strikes,  if  you 
supinely  wait  till  these  trusts  that  hold  in  their 
grasp  the  souls,  bodies,  and  minds  of  human 
beings,  reach  their  full  development.  The  time 
will  surely  come  when  their  tightening  coils  will 
strangle  your  efforts.  Thunder  your  veto  against 
prison  labor,  and  demand  for  your  sisters  the 
liberty  you  claim  for  yourselves ! 

To  the  thoughtless  patronizers  of  institutions 
that  hide  behind  prison  walls  and  barred  gates 
we  would  say,  “Wherever  you  see  these  walls 
go  up,  be  sure  that  enslaved  and  tortured  women 
unlawfully  shut  out  from  kindred  and  friends, 
from  light  and  hope,  are  groaning  behind  them.” 

Let  nothing,  then,  be  eaten  or  worn  that 
comes  from  behind  the  walls  where,  against  law 
and  right,  your  sisters  are  kept  prisoned  and 
enslaved.  And  those  of  you  who  will  persist  in 
encouraging  and  sustaining  such  things,  examine 
yourselves  when  at  night  you  disrobe  to  enter 
peaceful,  unhaunted  sleep,  with  only  your  droop- 
ing eyelids  shutting  you  out  from  the  bright, 
free  world,  search  and  make  certain  that  the 
garments  you  lay  aside  have  not  printed  on  your 
own  fair  bodies  stripes  of  blood.  Hold  them 
to  your  ears  and  listen,  and  be  sure  that  there  do 


PRIEST  AND  Vv^OMAN 


TO 

not  linger  in  their  folds,  in  phonographic  tones, 
the  despairing  moans  and  cries  of  beaten  and 
lacerated  sisters. 

The  Woman's  Liberty  League  has  been  formed 
primarily  to  aid  Mrs.  Hattie  Moore  and  Miss 
Rose  Wilhite  in  their  just  claim  for  damages 
against  the  authors  of  their  unlawful  imprison- 
ment and  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment,  to  em- 
ploy able  counsel  for  them  as  the  case  may  re- 
quire, to  have  the  evidence  taken  down  and  pub- 
lished when  the  case  comes  to  trial,  to  take  up 
the  cases  of  others  in  like  situations  when  they 
can  be  reached,  and  all  in  the  hope  that  this 
movement  may  extend  to  every  place  where 
these  prisons  exist,  and  in  strength  to  overthrow 
them,  or,  at  least,  to  open  them  to  full  and  free 
legal  inspection  and  regulation. 

We  are  prepared  to  offer  every  safe-guard  that 
means  entrusted  to  us  for  these  purposes  shall 
be  honestly  and  economically  applied,  and  we 
appeal  to  friends  of  liberty,  justice  and  light, 
everywhere,  to  assist  us  by  whatever  means  the 
blessings  of  a kind  Providence  has  placed  in  their 
hands. 

THE  WOMAN'S  LIBERTY  LEAGUE. 

Mrs.  C.  K.  Richardson,  President. 

LiIvUE  E.  Burch,  Secretary. 

Louisville,  Kentucky,  January  1,  1903. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


71 


Rome’s  Substitute  for 
Marriage 

By  Rev.  J.  Q.  A.  Henry. 


If  the  priests  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in 
America  were  to  marry  it  would  revolutionize 
society  and  in  addition  it  would  give  the  husband 
in  the  Catholic  home  his  rightful  place  as  the  head 
and  priest  of  the  office. 

To  tell  the  truth  about  the  priesthood  is  to  be 
accused  of  slander  and  vilification.  At  times, 
duty  compels  a man  to  speak  the  truth  to  warn 
the  wicked  lest  the  blood  of  souls  should  be 
required  of  his  hands.  We  believe  the  life  of 
this  nation  to  be  imperiled  by  the  celibacy  of  the 
priesthood  and  its  consequential  damages.  Our 
people  are  asleep  while  the  encroachments  ot 
Romanism  are  going  on. 

The  theory  of  a celibate  priesthood  is,  that  a 
woman  must  obey  her  confessor  in  everything  he 
commands;  that  she  will  never  be  called  to 
account  for  any  action  which  she  has  performed 
to  please  her  priest.  These  fair  penitents  are 
required  to  answer  questions  of  the  most  revolt- 
ing character,  and  yet  it  is  denied  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  priests  are  dissolute.  We  charge  that 
every  one  of  them  is  compelled  by  his  oath  to 


73 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


pollute  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  mothers, 
wives  and  daughters  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact, and  agree  perfectly  with  the  editor  of  the 
Occident  when  he  says  he  believed  it  impossible 
for  a priest  to  be  pure.  No  man  or  woman  can 
take  such  thoughts  into  their  mind  without  being 
polluted  by  them;  hence  the  absence  of  surprise 
at  the  moral  degradation  of  nations  under  the 
yoke  of  Rome. 

The  published  statistics  of  Eupropean  as  well 
as  American  nations,  show  that  among  Roman 
Catholic  countries  there  is  nearly  double  the 
amount  of  immorality,  bastardy,  theft,  perjury 
and  murder  that  is  found  among  Protestant  na- 
tions. In  the  city  of  Rome  virtue  is  almost 
unknown,  and  children  born  in  wedlock  constitute 
the  exception  and  not  the  rule. 

Father  Chiniquy  asks,  ‘‘Where  then  must  we 
look  for  the  cause  of  these  stupendous  facts  if 
not  in  the  corrupt  teachings  of  the  theology  of 
Rome,  and  how  can  the  Roman  Catholic  nations 
hope  to  raise  themselves  in  the  scale  of  Christian 
dignity  and  morality,  as  long  as  half  a million 
priests  are  allowed  to  remain  in  their  midst; 
priests  who  are  bound  in  conscience  every  day  to 
pollute  the  minds  and  hearts  of  wives  and  moth- 
ers, sisters  and  daughters  ? No  wonder  the  priests 
themselves  are  asking:  ‘Would  we  not  be  more 
chaste  and  pure  by  living  with  lawful  wives  than 
by  daily  exposing  ourselves  in  the  confessional, 
in  the  company  of  women  whose  presence  will 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


Ti 


irresistably  drag  us  into  the  shameful  pits  of  im- 
purity ?’  ” 

To  expose  these  enormities  and  to  state  the 
truth  in  reference  to  a celibate  priesthood,  is  t<;) 
incur  the  anger  and  displeasure  of  millions  of 
Roman  Catholics  who  are  bound  hand  and  footi 
by  their  father  confessors  and  yet  the  truth  about 
Rome  needs  to  be  told ; the  veil  must  be  torn  off, 
the  paint  removed,  and  the  horrible  beast  revealed 
in  its  nakedness  only  to  be  hated  and  despised. 
Alas,  that  so  many  of  our  people  should  be  so 
willing  to  be  humbugged  and  deceived.  To  tell 
the  whole  truth  would  be  to  expose  one’s  self  to 
criminal  proceedings.  Rome  hides  behind  the 
law  forbidding  the  approach  to  obscenity,  to 
conceal  her  shame.  To  portray  her  pollutions 
would  make  a book  too  indelicate  to  read  in  pub- 
lic, and  hence  to  protect  the  innocent,  the  guilty 
have  been  permitted  to  go  scot-free. 

In  some  way  or  another  society  must  organize 
against  this  horrid  iniquity.  Mr.  Henry  C.  Lea 
affirms,  “The  church  has  unquestionably  violated 
the  precept  ‘Thou  shalt  not  tempt’  in  its  reliance 
that  the  gift  of  chastity  might  accompany  the 
ordination  which  it  confers  upon  the  priesthood ; 
and  then  turns  loose  young  men  at  the  age  when 
the  passions  are  the  strongest,  trained  in  the 
seminary  and  unused  to  female  companionship 
to  occupy  a position  in  which  they  are  brought 
into  the  closest  and  most  dangerous  relations 
with  women  who  regard  them  as  being  gifted 


74 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


v/ith  supernatural  powers  and  holding  In  their 
hands  the  keys  of  heaven  and  hell. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  ardor  with  which 
the  vows  were  taken,  the  youth,  thus  exposed  to 
temptations  hitherto  unknown,  finds  his  virtue 
rudely  assailed  when  in  the  confessional  female 
lips  repeated  to  him  the  story  of  sins  and  trans- 
gressions and  he  recognizes  in  himself  instincts 
and  passions  which  are  only  the  stronger  by 
reason  of  their  whilom  repression;  that  a youth- 
ful spiritual  director  before  whom  are  thrown 
down  all  barriers  with  which  the  prudent  reserve 
of  society  surrounds  the  social  intercourse  of 
the  sexes,  too  often  finds  that  he  has  over-esti- 
mated his  self  control.  History  attests  that  there 
are  few  priests  who  have  the  grace  to  live  with- 
out the  companionship  of  women. 

The  Vatican  contains  eleven  hundred  rooms 
and  a population  of  five  hundred,  one-third  of 
whom  are  women.  While  priests  may  not  wed 
according  to  the  Catholic  church,  nevertheless 
they  may  live  in  the  open  violation  of  God's 
command. 

The  scandal  of  the  Countess  Lambertina,  who 
was  a daughter  of  Cardinal  Antonelli,  who  was 
the  power  behind  the  throne  during  the  pontifica- 
tion  of  Pope  Pius  IX,  has  sued  for  the  measure 
of  her  father's  estate,  and  in  this  vfay  has  given 
proof  that  the  lust  in  Italy  is  most  disgraceful. 

Sixteen  bishops  urged  the  marriage  of  priests 
in  order  to  reduce  the  number  of  illegitimate 
children  whose  existence  degrades  the  church. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


75 


In  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  m a case  of  the  most  aggra- 
vating character,  where  the  organist  was  as- 
saulted by  a priest,  the  jury  brought  in  a verdict 
of  guilty  and  fined  him  six  cents,  whereupon  this 
lecherous  priest  was  permitted  to  go  back  to  his 
altar  and  his  shame. 

All  over  the  country  are  to  be  found  women 
who  have  fled  Rome,  and  who  pronounced  her 
iniquities  infinitely  worse  than  we  have  painted 
them,  and  declare  that  the  half  has  never  been 
told.  We  believe  that  the  time  has  come  when  the 
legislature  of  our  country  will  be  forced  to  handle 
this  subject  by  a commission,  and  thus  break  up 
this  iniquitous  and  polluting  tyranny  over  the 
millions  of  our  citizens.  We  believe  there  are 
thousands  who  would  gladly  testify  against  this 
monster  evil. 

We  maintain  that  priests  should  be  judged  by 
the  same  standards  that  prevail  in  evangelical 
denominations.  If  Baptist,  Methodist  or  any 
Protestant  defalcates,  robs  or  debauches  the  peo- 
ple, he  finds  a home  in  the  state’s  prison;  but 
seldom  does  a Romish  priest  look  out  from  be- 
hind the  bars.  If  a minister  lapses  from  virtue 
his  pulpit  is  declared  vacant,  until  the  stain  from 
his  character  is  effaced. 

The  conduct  of  priests  in  nunneries  ought  to 
be  investigated.  Nunneries  should  be  examined 
and  every  nun  be  permitted  to  see  a representa- 
tive of  the  state  alone,  apart  from  the  surveillance 
of  any  keeper  or  companion,  at  least  once  every 
year,  with  the  assurance  of  protection  and  deliv- 


76 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


erance  if  desired.  It  was  the  insistence  of  a reg- 
ulation of  this  kind  in  Germany  that  led  to  the 
abandonment  of  the  convent  system  in  Germany. 
Every  man  and  woman  opposed  to  the  degrading 
influence  of  Romanism  should  protest  against  its 
enormities  in  public  and  in  private.  They  should 
make  it  their  business  to  tell  what  they  know,  and 
to  circulate  documents,  papers  and  books  that 
expose  its  infamies  and  corruptions. 

Naturally  one  recoils  from  a task  like  this,  for 
in  the  revelation  of  such  records  there  is  naught 
save  shame  and  sorrow.  We  believe  the  celibacy 
of  the  priesthood  to  constitute  the  sewer  of  our 
American  life ; that  it  is  connected  with  the  dark 
passages  of  European  life,  and  reveals  the  priest- 
hood to  be  the  pestilence  of  Christianity — the 
plague  spot  of  morality.  Ours  is  a land  of  homes. 
Whatever  blesses  the  home,  benefits  everybody; 
whatever  curses  the  home,  injures  ♦ everybody. 
It  is  because  the  homes  of  millions  are  invaded 
and  imperiled  by  the  conduct  of  priests  that  we 
desire  to  discuss  the  questions  why  they  do  not 
wed.  The  theory  which  underlies  their  unchastity 
is,  that  a woman  may  obey  the  priest  and  without 
sin  be  to  him  all  that  he  desires,  and  that  she 
can  never  be  called  to  account  to  God  for  any 
act  that  she  may  have  performed  to  please  him. 
The  women  of  the  Romish  church  uphold  the 
priests  in  their  wrong  doing.  No  matter  what 
he  does  he  goes  back  to  his  altar  and  to  his 
adulteries  and  debaucheries,  and  American 
women  say  it  is  none  of  their  business.  Sin 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


77 


palliated  and  condoned  lowers  the  standard  of 
morality  and  injures  society. 

We  believe  the  loose  ideas  of  marriage  and 
wedlock  extant  today  are  chiefly  due  to  the  cor- 
rupting influences  of  the  priesthood.  Not  long 
ago,  in  a music  hall,  Boston,  a converted  nun 
handed  this  request  to  the  chairman  of  the  meet- 
ing: ‘Tray  for  my  poor  benighted  relations  who 
are  yet  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity  and  the  gall  of 
bitterness.  My  poor  little  niece  who  is  now  in 
Boston  and  out  of  work,  was  put  into  a convent 
at  three  years  of  age,  and  since  then  has  been 
the  mother  of  two  children  before  she  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  One  is  living  and  one  dead. 
She  was  living  with  a priest  when  these  children 
were  born  and  is  now  turned  out  upon  the  world, 
without  a home  and  can  neither  read  or  write.’’ 
This  is  but  a specimen  of  an  iniquity  that  is  not 
only  diabolical  but  marvelously  prevalent  among 
American  people.  We  believe  the  priest  to  be  the 
plague  of  society  and  the  scourge  of  civilization. 

As  confessor,  he  possesses  the  secrets  of  a 
woman’s  soul.  He  knows  every  half-formed 
hope,  every  dim  desire,  every  thwarted  feeling. 
He  moves  her  with  his  own  will  and  fashions 
her  according  to  his  own  fancy.  The  preserva- 
tion of  a woman’s  virtue  who  is  a faithful  attend- 
ant upon  the  confession  box  is  an  accident  or  a 
miracle,  and  she  becomes  wax  in  her  spiritual 
dictator’s  hands.  She  ceases  to  be  a person  and 
becomes  a thing.  What  can  be  more  diabolical 
than  the  institution  of  a celibate  priesthood?  In 


78 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


its  crigin,  growth  and  conquests  we  have  a story 
of  brutality  that  can  scarcely  be  matched.  It 
leaves  men,  women  and  children  liable  to  be 
drawn  into  the  vortex  of  animal  passion  and  that, 
too,  in  a way  so  confidential  that  the  outside 
v/orld  may  seldom  know  their  actions  and  their 
thoughts. 

A young  woman  will  confess  to  a priest  what 
she  would  never  venture  to  tell  her  mother  or 
acknowledge  to  her  husband ; but  the  father  con- 
fessor must  know.  It  is  evident  that  auricular 
confession  is  a crime,  but  the  substitution  for 
marriage  on  the  part  of  the  priesthood  is  with- 
out excuse  and  can  claim  no  toleration  unless  the 
American  people  consent  to  allow  millions  to  sink 
into  the  mire  of  filthy  abomination  without  a 
protest  and  without  warning.  There  is  that  in  it 
from  which  the  pure  in  heart  shrink  back  in  holy 
horror.  Be  assured  that  vow  of  celibacy  as  a 
rule  is  deceptive  and  vain.  History  tells  in  trum- 
pet tones  that  priests  do  not  keep  that  vow.  The 
theologians  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  may 
palliate  their  crime  and  cover  their  lapses  from 
virtue  with  a mantle  woven  out  of  the  alleged 
wickedness  of  human  nature,  and  match  their 
m.oral  delinquencies  by  their  unparalelled  tempta- 
tions, and  yet  before  God,  we  are  compelled  to 
protest  against  the  violation  of  the  fundamental 
law  of  Christianity,  character  and  society — the 
law  of  chastity.  We  believe  this  substitution  for 
marriage  reveals  a deeper  depth  of  shame  and  a 
more  diabolical  plot  against  virtue  and  wanton- 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


79 


ness  upon  the  part  of  these  professed  leaders  of 
millions,  than  can  be  imagined,  much  less  de- 
scribed. 

Father  Quinn,  for  ten  years  pastor  of  tha 
Roman  Catholic  church,  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  was 
the  man  who  uncovered  the  rascality  and  robbery 
of  Archbishop  Purcell.  In  that  work  he  did 
much,  but  in  the  writing  of  a book  entitled 
‘‘Celibacy  and  Chastity,  or  the  Substitution  for 
Marriage  for  Priests,’’  and  the  horrid  revelation 
he  makes  of  the  turpitude  and  infamies  of  the 
priesthood  would  surpass  belief  were  it  not  that 
these  statements  have  been  confirmed  by  Rev. 
xAnthony  Gaven,  an  Episcopal  minister  of  Eng- 
land and  William  Hogan,  an  ex-priest  of  Rome, 
and  many  more. 

The  institution  is  thus  described:  In  the  year 
1866  Pope  Pius  IX  sanctioned  one  of  the  most 
appalling  institutions  of  immorality  and  wicked- 
ness under  the  form  and  garb  of  religion ; virtual- 
ly adding  another  plague  spot  to  that  vile  body, 
the  mother  of  harlots — papalism,  thus  offering  to 
the  clergy  the  opportunity  which  they  had  already 
taken  in  various  ways  to  use  this  violation  of 
marriage. 

This  organization,  with  all  its  glaring  inde- 
cencies, its  frightful  oppressions,  its  unlicensed 
privileges,  its  revolting  and  heartrending  out- 
rages, is  simply  another  product  of  celibacy — 
another  element  in  a system  which  is  rotten  with 
the  accumulated  iniquities  of  ages. 

Plans  the  safest,  best  and  most  expeditious 


80 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


were  thought  out  and  wrought  out  for  the  en- 
slavement of  women,  by  making  them  the  brides 
of  heaven,  the  consecrated  courtesans,  to  be  used 
by  the  Rev.  Father  in  God.  In  many  cities  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada  these  societies  flourish, 
having  the  sanction  of  the  pope,  bearing  the 
name  of  Rosary,  Sacred  Heart,  Immaculate  Con- 
ception or  such  pious  titles  as  are  calculated  to 
awaken  no  suspicion.  Not  all,  of  course,  have 
been  installed  into  the  secret  order  of  the  blessed 
creatures,  but  only  those  who  are  trained. 

Proofs  for  the  existence  of  this  order  are  ample 
and  abundant.  The  first  evidence  came  through 
the  confessional,  from  some  of  the  women  who 
had  been  members  and  who  had  left  their  former 
homes  to  get  rid  of  the  burden  of  such  a life.  In 
all  cases  examined,  the  badges,  pictures,  instru- 
ments and  printed  matter  were  invariably  the 
same,  and  the  statements  made  by  various  women 
were  identical  throughout. 

Many  inducements  are  held  out  for  joining 
those  societies.  They  differ  according  to  the 
character,  disposition  and  bearing  of  the  ladies 
that  may  be  selected.  Priests  have  a wonderful 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  and  what  is  more> 
important — of  woman’s  nature.  They  have  made 
her  a special  study,  and  are  perfectly  conversant 
with  the  duplicity,  artifice  and  cunning  by  which 
their  victim  may  be  bound,  sworn  and  delivered 
to  the  tender  mercies  of  her  spiritual  adviser. 
Because  priests  know  exactly  the  kind  of  material 
they  work  upon;  they  are  able  in  at  least  nine 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


81 


cases  out  of  ten  to  accomplish  their  purpose.  The 
smooth-tongued  villains,  by  special  argument  in- 
gratiate themselves  into  the  favor  of  their  flock, 
ruling  and  swaying  the  bodies  and  souls  of  their 
devotees,  touching  as  with  a magic  wand  the 
secret  springs  of  passion  and  of  lust,  until  they 
rival  in  enormity  the  worst  and  most  licentious 
institutions  of  paganism. 

At  first  it  seems  marvelously  strange  that 
women,  under  any  pretext  whatever,  would  join 
these  societies  to  become  the  tools  and  fools  of 
these  wicked  priests,  but  when  we  remember  their 
early  training,  the  superstition  and  nonsense,  and 
lying  wonders  which  they  have  been  taught  to 
accept  without  question,  we  are  no  longer  sur- 
prised that  they  are  thus  enslaved,  the  marvel 
would  be  that  they  did  not  belong.  Some  are 
naturally  so  full  of  passion  and  lust  that  they 
gladly  avail  themselves  of  this  society  to  be  pro- 
tected and  secured  by  religion  in  their  gratifica- 
tions. They  are  taught  that  God  and  His  holy 
church  are  highly  pleased  with  the  sacred  duties 
of  this  institution.  The  ornaments  and  decora- 
tions of  the  sacred  chapel  have  a hidden  mystery 
and  a sacred  bearing  on  these  societies. 

Priests  never  weary  in  persuading  these  female 
friends  that  there  is  much  mystery  connected  with 
this  divine  church  and  its  practices,  and  that  it  is 
the  conscientious  duty  of  every  one,  male  or 
female,  to  yield  a willing  and  hearty  obedience 
to  the  voice  of  the  priest,  who  is  the  true  repre- 
sentative of  Jesus. 


83 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


Every  female  identified  with  this  society  is  to 
regard  herself  as  highly  honored  — exalted  as 
Mary  was,  and  must  consider  herself  as  promoted 
to  a celestial  dignity  far  above  the  other  women 
of  the  city  or  parish  of  which  she  belongs.  Her 
timidity  and  modesty  are  overcome  by  learning 
that  the  priest  or  bishop  requires  this  unusual  and 
apparently  wrong,  yet  mysteriously  right  service 
from  her. 

Convinced  that  all  is  right,  she  gives  the  priest 
complete  assurance  of  her  willingness  to  submit 
to  his  unquestioned  will.  Then  there  are  a few 
mumbled  words  in  Latin,  a sprinkling  of  holy 
water,  a blessing  asked,  and  the  feast  is  ready 
for  the  priest  who  has  accomplished  by  mock 
prayer  and  pagan  ceremony  what  ought  to  send  a 
poisoned  arrow  through  his  accursed  heart. 

In  our  study  of  this  subject  last  Sunday  after- 
noon attention  was  directed  to  the  origin  of  such 
sodality,  the  date  and  circumstances  attending  its 
institution  by  Pope  Pius  IX  in  1866,  the  evidence 
of  its  existence,  the  qualifications  for  membership 
on  the  part  of  priests  and  the  mysterious  jugglery 
by  which  its  despicable  practices  were  justified  by 
a lecherous  clergy.  They  admit  that  such  im- 
moral procedure  is  surrounded  with  much  mys- 
tery v/hich  the  initiated  alone  can  understand. 
They  admit  that  the  Papal  church  committed  an 
egregious  blunder  when  enforcing  celibacy  among 
the  clergy,  and  that  this  dogma  has  been  a source 
of  shocking  corruption  and  scandal;  but  they 
maintain  that  the  church  has  by  divine  authority. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


83 


substituted  this  blessed  institution  rather  than  let 
the  people  discover  that  she  had  been  deceiving 
them  for  ages  on  this  vital  question;  and  that 
those  blessed  creatures,  or  brides  of  heaven,  are 
to  take  the  place  of  and  perform  the  duties  of 
a lawful  wife. 

The  manner  in  wdiich  they  wTencIi  the  Scrip- 
tures to  justify  their  position  is  most  remarkable. 
In  commenting  upon  that  Scripture  which  de- 
clares that  a bighop  must  be  the  husband  of  one 
wife  they  assert  that  no  one  shall  be  admitted  to 
the  order  of  bishop,  priest  or  deacon  who  has 
been  married  more  than  once.  By  a parity  of  rea- 
soning it  would  be  equally  correct  to  construe  or 
pervert  the  remaining  parts  of  the  verse,  and  say : 
^‘No  one  shall  be  admitted  to  these  orders  who 
has  been  blameless  more  than  once;  sober,  pru- 
dent, chaste,  of  good  behavior  or  ^?iven  to  hospi- 
tality more  than  once.’’  The  simple  fact  is,  that 
this  institution  places  the  Papal  church  in  a 
frightful  dilemma  before  her  own  followers  and 
before  the  intelligent  people  of  the  world. 

If  the  people  discovered  these  and  other  false 
explanations  of  the  Papal  church,  they  would 
revolt  against  her  and  abandon  her  dogmas  as 
pernicious,  pagan,  unscrupulous  and  unchristian. 
Without  diverging  upon  this  subject  further,  it  is 
manifest  that  the  substitution  for  marriage  on  the 
part  of  the  priests  has  become  a necessity  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in 
America.  But  this  in  no  wise  diminishes  the  rot- 


84 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


ten  stench  which  we  are  compelled  to  tolerate  in 
our  present  condition. 

These  fathers  and  their  church  teach  these 
deluded  women  that  Jesus  used  in  this  peculiar 
manner  Mary  Magdalene  and  other  women,  and 
that  he  pardoned  the  sins  of  many  women  be- 
cause they  had  loved  and  served  him  in  this  man- 
ner during  his  earthly  sojourn.  Thus  they 
ascribed  to  the  Man  of  Nazareth  in  private,  im- 
morality and  passion  such  as  so-called  infidels 
have  never  mentioned  in  connection  with  his 
career  as  a social  reformer.  They  adduce  as 
arguments  in  their  favor  also,  that  Peter,  a great 
saint,  was  a married  man,  retained  his  wife  and 
begat  children,  and  claimed  that  Christ  approved 
the  relation  because  he  loved  Peter’s  mother-in- 
law. 

They  assert,  also,  that  the  clergy,  from  the  days 
of  Christ  to  the  present,  have  used  women  in  this 
way  who  were  married  to  them  privately,  and 
blessed  for  their  special  comfort,  though  the 
majority  of  the  people  have  been  taught  that  such 
was  wrong  and  therefore  not  allowed.  They  even 
declared  that  the  Virgin  Mary  had  many  children, 
and  proved  it  by  the  statement  of  her  neighbors, 
who  generally  knew  all  about  such  things!  and 
said:  'Ts  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  Son  of 
Mary,  the  brother  of  James  and  Joseph  and  Jude 
and  Simon?”  And  they  likewise  refer  to  Solo- 
mon, who  had  several  hundred  wives  and  concu- 
bines. They  say  that  this  sacred  association  is 
the  very  mystery  of  godliness ; that  the  deacons. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


85 


priests  and  bishops  of  the  Church  of  Christ  were 
chaste  while  married  and  begetting  children ; and 
that  all  those  clergymen  were  authorized  to  have 
one  wife  and  several  concubines  or  consecrated 
mistresses,  who  were  to  render  them  this  peculiar 
service,  which  was  according  to  the  desire  of  the 
flesh,  purified  by  the  blessing  of  the  spirit,  and 
accepted  by  God  and  the  angels.  To  make  the 
impression  lasting  and  most  powerful,  and  to  give 
the  form  of  sacredness  and  solemnity  to  the 
obligation,  the  Papal  church  requires  both  the 
priests  and  the  female  to  observe  many  cere- 
monies at  the  time  of  intimation. 

Some  of  the  pomp,  shows,  music,  pictures,  can- 
dles, incense,  bells,  holy  water,  together  with  all 
the  paraphernalia  used  by  the  church  on  important 
occasions  is  brought  into  requisition  to  mystify 
and  impress  the  victim.  The  priest  who  is  to 
bless  or  receive  the  female,  is  robed  in  cassock, 
surplice  and  stole.  The  female  usually  wears  a 
white  veil;  kneels  on  a cushion  before  the  offi- 
ciating clergyman  who  indicates  and  blesses  her 
for  such  holy  uses.  She  holds  in  her  hand  the 
lighted  candle,  answers  all  questions,  and  swears 
to  obey  and  perform  all  enjoined.  She  swears 
implicit  obedience  to  all  clergymen  who  are  mem- 
bers of  the  society,  especially  to  him  who  shall 
be  her  pastor ; also  to  be  most  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  all  duties,  particularly  in  not  revealing 
the  secrets,  duties  or  insignia  of  the  society.  She 
swears  to  exercise  a supervision  over  the  conduct 
and  language  of  other  females  and  report  any 


86 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


delinquency  to  the  priest  or  bishop.  She  obligates 
herself  to  oppose  and  pursue,  even  to  death,  any 
faithless  or  dissatisfied  member ; to  defend  other 
clergymen  on  all  occasions,  and  to  deny,  under 
oath,  if  need  be,  every  charge  or  statement  made 
against  her  by  any  member  Avho  may  complain 
of  this  society,  or  report  its  proceedings  to  the 
outside  world.  If* she  is  a married  woman  when 
she  is  admitted  to  this  order  she  promises  to  be 
faithful  to  her  pastor,  and  to  consider  him,  if  a 
member,  and  serve  him  in  all  things  as  her  holy, 
true  and  lawful  husband,  blessed  before  God  and 
the  church ; she  also  agrees  to  abstain  from  serv- 
ing her  ostensible  husband,  as  the  laws  of  the 
church  are  more  binding  than  the  laws  of  men. 

Dr.  Fulton  relates  an  incident  that  occurred 
in  Music  Hall,  in  Boston,  of  which  he  received  a 
letter  that  read  as  follows : 

‘‘The  priest  wished  me  to  subscribe  five  thou- 
sand dollars  to  a certain  object.  I could  not  do  it 
and  did  not.  My  wife  went  to  the  confession 
and  was  told  by  the  priest  to  deny  me  all  rights 
as  a husband  until  I subscribed  the  money.” 

She  further  agrees  to  get  what  money  she  can 
from  her  ostensible  husband  for  the  support  of 
priests  and  the  church  and  if  required,  to  per- 
suade her  that,  though  living  in  the  same  house, 
she  can  no  longer  live  as  wife,  because  she  has 
consecrated  her  whole  being  to  the  service  of 
God  and  his  holy  church,  in  order  that  she  may 
live  a life  of  virtue  and  holiness,  affirming  that 
it  would  be  displeasing  to  God  to  defile  her  body. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


87i 


and  that  it  would  be  contrary  to  the  vow  which 
she  has  taken  upon  herself,  when  she  became  a 
member  of  one  of  the  blessed  fraternities  of  the 
church.  Some  husbands  have  actually  believed 
this,  and  have  lived,  and  are  now  living,  in  the 
same  house,  supporting  and  caring  for  them,  sup* 
posing  that  God,  conscience,  purity  and  religion 
are  the  only  motives  which  actuate^  their  once 
loving  and  truthful  companions,  and  little  suspect 
that  they  are  living  a life  of  consecrated  prof- 
ligacy for  the  gratification  of  a salacious  priest- 
hood. ' , . , . 

The  theory  of  the  Papal  church  is,  that  there 
can  be  no  true  marriage  outside  of  its  jurisdiction, 
and  that  the  offspring  of  all  such  alliances  are 
illegitimate.  She  also  insists  that  no  clergyman 
belonging  to  her  can  be  married  and  does  not  con- 
sider that  bishops  and  priests  who  have  forsaken 
the  fold  and  taken  unto  themselves  wives  are 
married  at  all,  and  yet  secretly  she  allows  her 
chief  priests  and  bishops,  who  are  members  of 
these  infamous  societies  to  make  these  deluded 
women  believe  that  they  are  truly  and  honorably 
married  to  them ; so  much  so  that  they  are  no 
longer  permitted  to  live  as  wives  with  their  legiti- 
mate husbands.  In  other  words  while  priests  are 
not  permitted  to  have  wives  of  their  own,  the 
papal  power  justifies  them  in  having  somebody 
else’s  wife,  and  so  debauch  womanhood  and 
wreck  the  home. 

The  concluding  ceremony  is  the  sprinkling  of 
the  initiate  with  holy  water  and  bestowing  upon 


88 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


her  the  title  of  Blessed  Creature.  Henceforth 
the  letter  B.  C.  are  used  in  their  notes  or  letters 
to  each  other. 

These  Blessed  Creatures  are  also  known  by  cer- 
tain badges,  the  most  important  of  which  is  the 
image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  with  the  child  of  Jesus 
in  her  arms.  The  Virgin  Mary  is  made  the  queen 
or  mother  and  protectress  of  the  entire  organiza- 
tion. Another  badge  of  membership  is  a pair  of 
silken  mittens,  generally  white  and  knit  by  hand. 

These  Blessed  Creatures  wear  some  insignia, 
even  in  the  best  society,  without  being  suspected. 
Many  Roman  Catholic  women  belong  to  an  asso- 
ciation having  some  religious  title,  while  they 
have  no  knowledge  of  the  hidden  operations  of 
the  inner  circles.  Each  of  these  Brides  of  Heaven 
is  provided  with  a ring,  worn  on  the  third  finger 
of  the  left  hand  as  a wedding  ring.  Then  there 
are  certain  grips  of  the  hand  by  which  the  blessed 
creature  can  make  herself  known  to  any  of  the 
fathers  without  detection  by  strangers.  The 
books  containing  instructions  are  circulated  in  a 
guarded  manner.  Every  member  of  this  fra- 
ternity is  given  a book  which  contains  the  rules 
and  instructions.  It  must  be  kept  in  a secret 
place;  the  moment  any  one  is  suspected  of  infi- 
delity the  book  is  taken  from  her.  The  language 
of  the  book  is  susceptible  of  a double  interpreta- 
tion. It  contains  nothing  that  would  lead  to  per- 
sonal and  local  exposure,  or  bring  scandal  on  the 
church.  Every  Blessed  Creature  is  made  familiar 
with  the  key  which  unlocks  the  real  and  immoral 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


89 


meaning  of  this  book.  Every  possible  effort  is 
used  to  conceal  the  names  of  those  who  are  mem- 
bers of  the  fraternity,  lest  the  woman  herself  or 
her  family  might  be  disgraced. 

Protestants,  as  well  as  papists,  have  been  gen- 
erous in  patronizing  big  fairs  and  swelling  the 
treasury  of  this  Roman  church  by  liberal  dona- 
tions, for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  building  a 
new  cathedral,  or  an  orphan  asylum;  but  in 
reality,  a large  portion  of  the  money  has  been 
expended  by  persons,  for  the  entertainment  of 
these  Brides  of  Heaven.  Apartments  are  often 
fitted  up  in  some  favorite  convent  for  one  of  these 
lordly  fathers,  where  he  can  spend  a few  days  in 
private  pleasure  and  meditation  with  his  favorite 
Bride  of  Heaven.  Some  of  the  nuns  are  members 
of  these  organizations  and  are  bound  just  the 
same  as  the  Blessed  Creatures  who  are  still  in 
the  world.  Others  of  the  nuns  know  nothing  of 
the  existence,  oaths,  or  duties  of  this  society. 
Parents  or  friends  of  the  young  ladies  about  to 
become  nuns,  attend  the  grand  ceremony,  or  wed-, 
ding  of  these  brides  of  Jesus  Christ;  which  wed- 
ding may  be  only  the  foreshadowing  of  the  real 
marriage ; when  blessed  anew,  they  enter  into  the 
joy  awaiting  them  in  their  union  with  those  fath- 
ers, by  their  initiation  into  this  fraternity.  Many 
priests  and  representatives  of  the  church  partici- 
pate in  these  festivities.  There  is  a grand  dinner 
and  holiday  for  the  young  ladies  attending  the 
school  at  the  convent;  special  pleasures  and 
attractions  arranged  by  the  sisters. 


90 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


After  all  is  over,  the  Blessed  Creature,  whether 
a nun  or  a v/oinan  of  the  world,  perhaps  a con- 
vert from  Protestantism,  is  invited  by  his  lord- 
ship  to  meet  him  in  his  luxurious  apartments, 
there  to  spend  days  and  nights  with  him.  Perhaps 
the  ladies  belonging  to  the  convent  know  the 
whole  secret  and  manage  to  disturb  him  as  little 
as  possible.  The  excuse  given  by  the  bishop  is 
that  this  Bride  of  Heaven  needs  much  private 
instruction  on  many  matters  of  importance  per- 
taining to  their  religion.  This  convert  is  usually 
supplied  with  all  the  money  she  requires  for 
jewelry,  ornaments  and  dress,  that  she  may  ap- 
pear in  her  most  attractive  form.  A thousand, 
five  thousand  or  ten  thousand  dollars  a year  while 
she  is  in  service  in  the  estimation  of  the  bishop, 
the  very  pink  of  perfection,  is  no  unusual  sum. 

The  story  is  told  of  one  who  was  enthusiastic^ 
intensely  emotional,  who  possessed  in  her  nature 
powerful  elements  of  the  romantic,  sentimental 
and  visionary.  Her  emotions  overruled  her  rea- 
son, and  she  loved  not  wisely,  but  too  well.  Her 
constitution  was  wrecked;  she  grew  ill.  ‘ The 
clammy  touch  and  chill  of  death  crept  toward 
her;  remorse  gnawed  at  her  heart  string.  The 
accumulated  guilt  of  years  rested  like  a heavy 
weight  upon  her  conscience,  and  the  thought  of 
husband  and  children  whom  she  loved  and  hon- 
ored before  she  gave  herself  to  the  papal  church; 
She  grew  to  hate  Rome,  to  despise  the  priesthood, 
she  resolved  to  expose  the  substitution  for  mar- 


priest  and  woman 


01 


riage,  and  the  church  that  upheld  it  and  accom- 
plished her  ruin.  . 

The  letters,  badges,  and  books  were  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a trusted  physician,  and  an  exposure 
was  resolved  upon.  She  left  the  city  and  sought 
another  home.  In  speaking  of  the  enormities  of 
this  institution  as  abnormal,  unnatural  and  dia- 
bolical, she  warns  Protestants  against  the  wiles: 
of  Rome,  set  for  them  in  the  confessional,  the 
convent  school  and  the  seductiveness  of  the  papal 
power.  She  admits  that  many  of  the  sisters  are, 
good  and  will  not  intentionally  cornipt  the  Prot- 
estant girls,  but  true  to  their  calling  they  rnust 
and  do  plant  the  seeds  of  Papalism  in  their  minds 
and  hearts,  in  such  a way  that  the  clergy  in  due 
time  can  complete  the  conversion,  draw  them 
into  these  societies,  debauch  and  ruin  them.  This 
woman  testified  that  she  served  as  spouse  or  con- 
secrated courtesan  to  nineteen  different  Roman 
Catholic  clergymen  in  less  than  two  years.  Do 
you  wonder  that  she  loaths  their  doings  and  fears 
their  vengeance? 

Two  young,  unmarried  ladies,  members  of  a 
highly  respectable  family,  became  initiated,  and 
have  served  as  Brides  of  Heaven,  one  to  twenty- 
two  of  these  fathers.  Owing  to  their  high  posi- 
tion in  life,  they  move  in  the  most  aristocratic 
ranks  of  society,  without  the  least  suspicion  rest- 
ing upon  them.  They  have  no  fear  of  the  fathers, 
for  they  would  expose  the  whole  affair  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  thus  bring  shame  and 
scandal  upon  the  church. 


93 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


Dr.  Quinn  tells  also  of  thtee  young  ladies,  chil- 
dren of  Roman  Catholic  parents,  who  were  mem- 
bers of  this  society,  and  have  served  respectively, 
seven,  nine  and  thirteen  of  these  holy  fathers. 
On  account  of  the  sufferings  through  which  they 
passed,  and  the  cruelties  inflicted  upon  them  for 
disobedience  to  the  rules  of  the  society,  they  had 
abandoned  the  confraternity. 

Few  physicians  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  all 
these  important  facts.  They  are  acquainted  with 
some  members  of  the  sodality,  but  do  not  publish 
these  facts  lest  they  might  bring  ruin  upon  many 
worthy  and  happy  families. 

And  so  we  might  narrate  instance  after  in- 
stance, and  cover  page  after  page  with  the  vil- 
lainies that  have  characterized  this  mystery  of 
iniquity. 

We  believe  that  Romanism  is  a natural  religion, 
appealing  to  the  natural  man,  full  of  passion,  and 
set  on  fire  of  hell ; that  the  average  Roman  prin- 
ciple is  described  in  these  words : “the  works  of 
the  flesh  are  these  i adultery,  fornication,  unclean- 
ness, lasciviousness,  idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred, 
variance,  emulations,  wrath,  strife,  seditions, 
envyings,  murders,  drunkenness,  revilings,  and 
such  like,  of  which  I tell  you  before,  and  I have 
also  told  you  in  time  past,  that  they  which  do 
these  things  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God.”  This  proves  that  Roman  Catholic  priests, 
as  a rule,  are  in  danger,  not  of  bigotry,  but  of 
eternal  hell.  It  is  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul 
which  changes  the  nature,  quenches  the  glow  of 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


93 


passion  and  compels  the  individual  to  walk  in 
harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  word  of  God. 
Where  the  word  of  God  rules  and  reigns,  there  is 
virtue,  self-respect,  domestic  purity  and  honored 
wedlock  and  a righteous  community. 

Chapter  eight  of  Dr.  Quinn’s  book,  tells  of 
abortions  and  cruelties  which  result  from  these 
criminal  marriages,  the  details  of  which  are  suf- 
ficient to  sicken  and  sadden  the  heart.  Many  of 
these  illegitimate  children  are  prematurely  born, 
and  not  a few,  after  having  been  baptized  are 
turned  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  a good  God, 
while  still  others  are  provided  for  the  foundling 
asylums,  orphanages  and  other  places  of  refuge 
with  which  Rome  abounds,  because  in  such  insti- 
tutions the  priesthood  can  be  screened  from  in- 
famy. A lady  who  was  acquainted  with  the  in- 
famies of  the  priesthood  rebuked  some  of  them 
for  their  profligate  doings,  and  asked  how  they 
could  say  mass  while  leading  such  profligate  lives. 
They  roared  in  laughter  and  asked,  what  is  the 
confessional  for  unless  they  were  granted  absolu- 
tion as  well  as  other  men. 

The  fear  of  persecution  and  death  seals  the  lips 
of  many  of  these  Brides  of  Heaven,  though  their 
wrongs  burn  like  fire  into  the  soul.  A beautiful 
girl  had  been  seduced  by  priestly  cunning  and 
church  influence,  and  had  been  initiated  into  this 
society.  Through  the  brutality  of  these  men,  she 
became  disgusted  with  the  society  and  its  horrid 
crimes,  and  finally  complained  to  some  of  the 
members,  who  reported  her  murmurs  to  the  lead- 


94 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


ing  pastor.  She  was  urged  to  submit.  She  re- 
fused. She  was  seized  by  the  priests,  carried  up 
to  the  garret,  bound  with  a strong  rope  around 
the  wrists  to  a post,  and  fearing  that  she  might 
escape,  they  procured  a chain,  and  fastened  her 
to  a large  beam,  and  left  her  to  her  own  reflec- 
tions. They  were  certain  she  would  repent  and 
submit.  They  were  mistaken.  She  was  invin- 
cible. They  brought  her  barley  bread  and  water 
enough  to  keep  her  alive.  She,  the  once  loved 
and  petted  idol,  neither  ate  nor  drank,  but  re- 
iterated constantly  her  determination  to  expose 
and  denounce  the  whole  crowd,  until  the  over- 
burdened mind  gave  way,  and  she  became  crazed 
in  that  temporary  prison. 

In  her  insanity  she  tore  her  long,  beautiful  hair, 
and  cursed  it  as  one  of  the  beauties  which  had 
been  admired  by  the  fathers.  She  tore  her  cloth- ' 
ing  from  her  body  into  shreds  and  stood  there 
raving,  cursing,  crying  and  praying,  while  the 
human  fiends,  the  fathers,  and  the  other  Brides 
of  Heaven,  invited  others  of  their  associates  that 
were  wavering  or  fault  finding  to  witness  the 
punishment  of  the  poor  girl,  as  a specimen  of 
what  they  might  expect  should  they  venture  to 
threaten  to  leave.  Some  said : “It  is  good  enough 
for  her  for  talking  as  she  did  and  not  obeying 
the  blessed  father.”  Death  came  to  release  the 
tired  and  worn  out  spirit.  In  a dimly  lighted 
chapel,  with  the  smoke  and  aroma  of  incense 
floating  through  the  air — ^the  altar  draped  in 
mourning,  lies  the  broken-hearted,  abused  girl. 


PRIEST  AND  WOMAN 


95 


all  unconscious  of  the  mock  prayers  and  emgty 
ceremonies  performed  seemingly  for  her  benefit, 
but  in  reality,  to  show  that  nothing  is  wrong,  and 
all  is  well,  proper  and  religious  in  honor  of  the 
dead  and  living.  No  relatives  were  present,  no 
fond  mother,  who  might  have  discovered  some- 
thing wrong  in  the  appearance  of  her  dead  child ; 
no  proud  father  to  mourn  over  the  object  his 
whole  heart  was  wrapped  up  in;  no  brother  or 
sister  to  mingle  their  tears  of  love.  All  is  a 
strange  mockery  and  a snare. 

And  yet  this  girl  was  sent  from  a distant  home 
and  entrusted  to  these  spiritual  sharks  to  train 
and  educate  for  life's  responsibilities  and  privi- 
leges, and  this  is  the  way  in  which  they  did  it. 
Let  God  and  insulted  humanity  be  the  judges  con- 
cerning this  iniquitous  system. 

With  these  facts  in  mind,  one  ceases  to  be 
surprised  that  the  press  should  teem  with  reports 
of  the  scandals  practiced  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  We  believe  it  to  be  a sewer  in  which  to 
drain  off  the  scandals  and  loathsome  deeds  of 
society,  rather  than  a representative  of  the  Christ 
who  went  about  doing  good.  Has  not  the  time 
come  when  men  and  women  should  cut  loose  from 
this  sink  of  corruption — turn  upon  it  the  eye  of 
public  investigation,  and  compel  it  by  strenuous 
laws  to  behave  or  suffer  the  consequences  of  its 
abominable  deeds. 


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